YuGiOh! Dark Empire
by TheTwistedDeck
Summary: A Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic with a few characters from Teen Titans included in the story. Finally updated after over 2 years. Wow.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The following story is a fanfiction based on the Gamecube game Yu-Gi-Oh: The Falsebound Kingdom with a slight Teen Titans crossover. Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi, and Teen Titans belongs to DC Comics. I am not associated with any of the aforementioned parties. This story is fan-made speculation and nothing more. Anyway, please enjoy.

Chapter 1: Disappearance

It is an early morning in the kingdom of Rondeval. The Duelist Colosseum at Sygh-Varths, the capital city of the imperial continent, had just opened up about an hour beforehand, so only a few people were there to witness the possible rise of a new member of the Emperor's duelist armies. She had passed each one of the previous tests with flying colors, and now only one test remains – the single deciding factor in the young newcomer's future as an imperial duelist. She must do battle with – and defeat – a preexisting member of one of the three imperial forces. As the two combatants' monsters clashed in one brawl after another, two teenagers watched them from atop the stands, while a few assorted members of the imperial staff were seated across the open-air stadium.

"Tch. You look like you're having the time of your life," one of the teenagers, a blonde seventeen-year-old wearing a lime-green jacket, sarcastically said to the other, a somewhat dour-looking guy of about the same age wearing a large cerulean coat that nearly reached the floor. "Come on, lighten up. Try to enjoy the match. It's actually pretty good; your boy is doing pretty well, considering…well, you know."

"…I suppose," the guy mumbled, in an almost inaudible tone. The girl picked up on it, though, and playfully jabbed him with her elbow. He merely looked away for a couple of seconds, then resumed watching the match.

At this point in the duel, the challenger appeared to be on the homestretch; her life point count (twenty-four hundred) outranked her opponent's by twelve times as much, and except for one of her Trap cards, the entire field was barren. However, it was now the opponent's turn, and as everyone in the dueling armies knows, anything can happen should the right card be drawn at the right moment. The challenger watched nervously as her opponent, a ten-year-old boy in a strange green lab coat, drew the top card of his deck and examined it. Originally, he planned on placing the monster he just drew face-down in Defense position in order to safeguard his life points, but his opponent's Light of Intervention prevented that, which vexed him somewhat. _Change of plans,_ he thought to himself before taking action.

"Here goes!" the boy declared. "I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in Defense position!" Just after he placed the card on the machine he wore on his arm, a holographic image of the summoned monster appeared before him – a mechanical being of questionable origin and incredible density. Its mechanical make-up afforded it great defensive power, but its attack capabilities left much to be desired, and the boy could not afford to sustain any more damage. "That's it from me for now, but I warn you – I am not going to lose!"

"We'll see," the challenger said as she drew a new card of her own. Her eyes grew ablaze with excitement when she took notice of the monster she had just drawn. Her opponent cringed slightly when she did, hoping it was just a bluff. "Check out this monster – Injection Fairy Lily, Attack position!" A holographic image of a winged sprite wielding a giant syringe and sporting a nurse outfit turned up as she spoke, but unlike her opponent's monster, this one was primed for battle. "Also, I equip my monster with the Fairy Meteor Crush Equip Spell!" As she placed the Equip card in one of the five spaces intended for Spells and Traps on her own dueling machine, a holographic picture of the card became visible directly behind her monster, with a light-blue energy line attaching the two that indicated who the appropriate target was. "With this card in effect, my Fairy Lily causes piercing battle damage if she attacks a weaker Defense monster! Tough break, kid!"

"Yeah, for you!" the boy retorted. "Your fairy isn't even close to being stronger than my Golem! What in Obelisk's name were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about my Fairy Lily's ability," the challenger replied. "During the Damage Step, if I pay two thousand of my life points, her Attack power rises by three thousand!" This revelation earned her a loud "WHAT?!" and a dumbfounded look from her opponent. "Watch! Injection Fairy Lily, attack his Fortress!"

At her mistress's command, the fairy perked up, placed herself atop her syringe, gave a soft but determined shout and, riding her syringe like a rocket, made a beeline for her mechanized foe. At first, it appeared to be a futile effort; the needle of her weapon seemed much too inadequate for such an endeavor. At the last minute, however, as her controller's life points took a sudden nose-dive, the weapon increased to much larger proportions, and once it connected, the fortress was smashed into several large pieces, while the syringe continued en route straight for its other opponent. The resulting damage was too much for the boy to take, and his life point count dropped to zero, causing him to lose the duel.

"Arrgh! Not again!" the boy repined as the referee for the match began to make his way towards the center of the stadium. Upon reaching his destination, he withdrew a hand-held microphone from his person, activated it, and began to speak.

"The match between challenger Mizumi and Gizmo of the Red Dragon military division has ended! I have received confirmation that Mizumi, as a result of her outstanding achievements during these past few days, shall be drafted into the White Dragon division of the Emperor's army! Congratulations, Mizumi!"

An ecstatic Mizumi giggled gleefully as resounding applause filled the stadium. Finally, after three days of vigorous testing and backbreaking effort, she had earned a spot in one of the Imperial Three forces. The feeling of all her efforts paying off in this manner placed an ear-to-ear grin on her face.

Gizmo, on the other hand, was not so lucky…

"As for Gizmo…" The referee waited a few seconds for the applause to fade before continuing, "You are once again slated for execution at noon tomorrow. Any last words?"

Gizmo said nothing; he was used to this sort of thing by now. The number-one bylaw in the Empire was that anyone who loses a duel is to be executed at earliest convenience. How Gizmo managed to evade his execution time after time puzzled a great number of people across the Empire, not the least of whom is Lee Headcutter, the warden of the Sygh-Varths maximum-security prison…though not quite for the same reason. He knew exactly how it happens…he just doesn't know why.

"Very well, then," the referee said after a few seconds. "I hereby proclaim this duel over! Everyone is to vacate the stadium until two o'clock tonight, when former champion Slade Headcutter faces down the mighty Mammoth in an effort to reclaim his championship title! Thank you, and have a nice day! Also, make sure to buy souvenirs until your wallets are empty!" The referee moved to put away his microphone amidst some grumbling and a shout of "Screw you!" from the audience as the spectators proceeded to leave the stadium.

Upon exiting the stadium, the blonde teenager caught up with her acquaintance. "Hey, Maryaka!" she called out, at which the guy turned his head to look behind him. "So, where's our Imperial Prince headed now?"

"None of your business." Maryaka had tried to sound indifferent in his reply, but his companion noticed a slight twinge of irritation in his voice. It didn't take too long for her to know where he was going or what he was going to do there.

"Oh, that's where." Her response puzzled him for a brief moment, but he shrugged it off once he realized she knew what he was up to. Maryaka never was one to share his personal business with anyone, so this insight didn't sit too well with him. Still, all he did was roll his eyes as she resumed speaking. "How many times does this make, twenty-four or so?"

"Twenty-six, actually," Maryaka corrected her.

"Wow. That many, huh? Something tells me the Emperor's not going to let you keep this up for too much longer. And I imagine Lee's none too happy about it, either. You know how he feels about-"

"No offense, Alexis, but it's really none of your concern." Maryaka was beginning to get a little peeved about Alexis constantly exercising her curiosity on his matters. "Why do you care so much about my business?"

"Because."

Maryaka heaved a large sigh and then began muttering something to himself, his focus drifting away from what was right in front of him. He looked up at the last second, only to collide with a man in a strange uniform, which Maryaka recognized as the uniform for imperial foot soldiers that had little, if any, overall influence in the Empire. This one, however, had an odd green-and-yellow color scheme that differentiated from the usual red-and-black, causing Maryaka to quickly identify him as one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards. This man did seem a little irritated by Maryaka's lack of focus, but chose to ignore him as Maryaka was of a much higher rank than he. Instead, he strode over toward Alexis, who stood at attention upon recognizing him.

"Lady Alexis," he addressed her. "Our almighty Emperor has requested your presence. You will go to see him immediately."

Alexis winced at the thought of having to stand before the Emperor, but promptly followed the messenger to Castle Sygh-Varths. "I'll catch up with you later," she whispered to Maryaka as she left.

As Alexis disappeared from sight, Maryaka shook his head out of concern for her, and then proceeded to take care of his own matters.

* * *

In addition to losing a duel, there were a large number of ways people could get themselves on a waiting list for execution, such as committing treason or some other infraction of imperial law. Until the date slated for execution, those people get to spend the remainder of their lives at the Sygh-Varths maximum-security prison where, under the ever-pitiless care of warden Lee Headcutter, prisoners will be begging for their time of death to come sooner. Hundreds have tried to escape from this hell on earth, and none have succeeded…

…Except for one.

And that one is making his twenty-sixth trip to the prison at this point in time.

Gizmo ended up with a slight bruise on his bald head as the prison guards remorselessly threw him into his cell. He took a quick glance around and noticed that he had been tossed into the exact same cell he had been in twenty-five times before. During his first time, he had used a green marker to write "Gizmo Waz Hear" on one of the walls. _Sheesh,_ he thought to himself. _You'd think these people would actually take the time to clean these cells once in a while._ Of course, he figured this wouldn't be the case; Lee doesn't exactly regard the inmates' personal hygiene as a priority.

Gizmo peered out of the small, barred window at the end of his cell, waiting anxiously for something or someone. After about a half hour, something in the distance caught his eye. In a flash, he perked himself up to get a better look…

…And, right on cue, Maryaka was approaching the prison.

_All right!_ Gizmo knew it was bound to happen eventually, but he was excited nonetheless. _I'm getting out of this pit hole in record time!_ He made his way to his cot and waited eagerly for his call to leave the prison once again.

* * *

"For Ra's sake, Maryaka, why do you even bother bailing out that hopeless cause?"

"I just do. What's it to you?"

"It's a colossal waste of time! He's just going to keep ending up in here! You know that as much as I do!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Listen to me. He is the absolute worst duelist in the entire kingdom! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end his existence right now!"

"Because I am the Imperial Prince, meaning you have no choice but to do as I say."

"Gaaah! Fine, fine. Here's the damn cell key. Now get going."

So ended another one of Maryaka and Lee's infamous bull sessions, and as usual, Maryaka came out on top. It was no surprise, really; Maryaka knew just how to get Lee to cave in to his demands from experience. This time, however, Lee was not going to take it sitting down. As Maryaka turned to leave the warden's office, Lee decided to bring up a point he was sure would make even the Imperial Prince cringe in fear.

"By the way, Maryaka, a few days ago, I brought this little routine of yours up before the Emperor, and I must say, he was none too happy about it. You know how much he detests weak duelists fighting in his name, right? If I were you, Maryaka, I'd watch my back from here on out."

"Perhaps…but then again, you're not me. Good day to you, sir," Maryaka told him before exiting, after which he muttered, "Even though the likes of you don't deserve one."

Maryaka's nonchalance struck Lee more than a bit harder than he would've thought. _Unbelievable, _Lee thought to himself. _How can he not care what the Emperor thinks? That's blatant insubordination! Why, I've got half a mind to report this insurgency!_

While Lee was busy fuming to himself, Maryaka had arrived at the entrance to Gizmo's cell. Without even looking, he swiped the card key down the appropriate slot next to the door, undoing the electrical lock and causing the iron door to slide open. As per Maryaka's expectation, Gizmo was standing right in front of the door as it opened, and afterwards, he happily jumped out the door somewhat clumsily before falling all over himself as a result of the straitjacket he was forced to wear.

"Thanks, Prince," Gizmo said after Maryaka removed the straitjacket from his person.

"No problem," Maryaka remarked. "Now, let's quit this place."

Even though he was relieved and delighted to be leaving the prison for the twenty-sixth time, Maryaka could tell that Gizmo was depressed about something. Maryaka isn't usually the type to go sticking his nose in other people's business, but all the same, he couldn't stand seeing his companion so downtrodden. As soon as they returned to the outside, Maryaka decided to see what was on Gizmo's mind.

"What's wrong? I figured you'd be happy to be out of there," Maryaka inquired.

"Prince…" Gizmo hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Do you…Do you think I'm a failure as a duelist?"

"Oh, that tired story again." Maryaka had previously tried to assuage Gizmo's doubts on this particular subject, but no matter what he said, it seemed like Gizmo's inadequate dueling just wouldn't stop tormenting him. After a few seconds of quiet thought, an idea formed in Maryaka's head that he hoped would put an end to the emotional torture once and for all.

"Gizmo," Maryaka told him, "Tomorrow, I am headed to the supplies shop at Anker-Hill, where supposedly, the owner got his mitts on an ultra-rare Machine-Type monster card. I was hoping to surprise you with it, but maybe it's better that you knew now."

As Maryaka had hoped, Gizmo's mood began to brighten up. "Seriously? That's so awesome! I can't wait!"

"That's more like it," Maryaka mused. "We depart for Anker-Hill tomorrow at daybreak, then."

Unbeknownst to both of them, someone else was listening in on their conversation. As the two faded into the distance, Lee pondered what he had heard through the strange machine situated next to his window. _So that's what's going down, huh? Well, not if I have anything to say about it! As Slifer is my witness, that child will meet his end soon enough!_

* * *

A meeting with the Emperor in person– the one event most people in the Empire dread above all else. If there's anything the Emperor is well known for, it's either his cruelty towards anyone he regards as weak, his self-serving impulses such as hoarding all the tax money in the kingdom to himself, or his unpleasant attitude towards everyone else. Few people in the kingdom have any sort of respect for him, and even fewer can stand being within thirty yards of him.

Alexis is not one of those few.

Yet, she is burdened with the displeasure of having to meet with him on such short notice. Personally, she would much rather swallow a hive of Killer Needles than hear what His Highness, a term she uses very loosely, has to say.

Even still, the alternative to answering his summons might just be worse than Killer Needles, so she trudged alongside the Emperor's bodyguard towards the throne room.

Once they reached the gold-plated, jewel-encrusted door that led into their destination, the bodyguard turned to face Alexis. "As you can see," he told her, "we are about to enter the chambers of our magnificent king, so try and be as respectful towards him as you can. I doubt you'll want to know what'll happen otherwise."

"I think I'll manage," Alexis spoke up, trying as hard as she could to hold back her nervousness.

"Very well, then," said the bodyguard as he withdrew a card key from inside his cloak. He swiped it through the appropriate slot, and after a few seconds of beeping while the electrical lock recognized the key, the door began to open slowly while emitting a loud, groaning noise.

As the door opened, the first thing Alexis noticed was a large golden throne on the opposite side of the spacious enclosure. Seated atop the large throne was a man in his early forties with a golden, jewel-embedded crown atop his head and wearing a large, royal purple cape. Alexis shuddered as her bright blue eyes met his cold, dark hazel eyes. She shrank back a bit, but the bodyguard roughly nudged her to go forward, after which she reluctantly made her way towards the menacing figure that was the Emperor.

"It's about time you showed up, child," the Emperor snapped as she kneeled before him.

"Your excellency," the bodyguard said as he, too, bowed before his master, "I have found the girl with whom you requested an audience."

"I can see that, you buffoon," the Emperor rudely stated. "Now go stand guard outside until we're finished here."

"At once, my liege," spoke the bodyguard as he rose to take his leave, which left Alexis alone with the Emperor. Her nervousness reached a new pinnacle once the door slammed shut behind him, and she began to expect the worst; the few times the Emperor requested a private audience were for matters of gravest importance.

"Y…you wanted to see me, sir…?" Alexis could barely get the words out of her throat, causing her to nearly choke on them.

The Emperor glared down at her for a few seconds before he finally saw fit to speak, and by then, she was practically quaking with anxiety. "As you know," he began, "I have no family member left alive to speak of, and therefore, no offspring to pass my kingdom down to when my time comes. Three years ago, I made an effort to rectify this matter by hosting a card battle tournament, the winner of which would become my successor. The end result was that a young man named Maryaka became the Imperial Prince and, once I've departed from this earthly realm, would rightfully inherit my glorious Empire. Are you following me so far?"

"Yes, sir," Alexis told him. She had calmed down somewhat, but was still very nervous.

"Recently, I've begun to question whether or not I made the correct decision in letting this boy become my second-in-command. I do admit he has incredible dueling prowess, and he appears to be loyal and respectful towards me, both of which I admire. The problem is, he seems to be a bit too…how shall I put this…merciful towards the garbage of my kingdom, and by garbage, I don't just mean that child, uh…Gizmo. This sort of thing does not sit well with me in the least; if trash like Gizmo is allowed to roam freely throughout my kingdom, my empire's reputation will be tarnished. Still with me?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good, because here's where you come in. As you know, I cannot simply relieve young Maryaka of his rank, because then I'll have no one to pass leadership of my beautiful Empire down to. However…" The Emperor paused for a second or two, stroking his chin as he pondered how to word the next part of his speech. "I have come up with an ingenious plan to remedy this situation. Once my plan's all said and done, he'll be forever out of my hair, and a new, more powerful candidate will become my new successor."

Alexis was a bit confused; in the innumerable duels he had fought in the Emperor's name or otherwise, Maryaka had never once come close to losing. Who, besides perhaps the Emperor himself, could be powerful enough to defeat him? She felt it necessary at this point to ask the Emperor who he thought could undertake such an endeavor.

"If I may ask, Your Excellency…" Alexis nearly gagged as she said this, but refrained from doing so for fear that the Emperor might take it as a sign of disrespect. "…Who did you have in mind for this mission?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?" As the Emperor spoke his reply, a frigid chill ran up Alexis's spine. _He couldn't mean…could he?_

As if knowing what she was about to ask, the Emperor gave his answer to the question Alexis was about to pose. "Yes, I mean you, my darling Alexis. Your track record in the Empire is just as spotless as his, and I've heard endless approvals regarding your dueling skills. If anyone in the Empire is fit to knock Maryaka off his high horse, it's you."

Alexis's face turned a ghostly white as her mind began to comprehend what the Emperor had just asked of her. Of all the people in the Empire, her loyalties rested with Prince Maryaka even more so than the Emperor himself. The thought of being forced to engage such a respectable figure in a life-or-death battle was almost enough to make her lunge straight at the Emperor and put a knife through his coal-black heart, but as she knew she was powerless to do so, she merely retained her kneeling position while keeping her head down so the Emperor couldn't see her reaction.

The Emperor was not so easily fooled, however; he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. As such, he made one final commandment that he figured would cement her submission to his latest decree. "I shall give you three days. If you fail to meet this deadline, your own life will be forfeit. Am I clear?"

Alexis reluctantly nodded her head while at the same time fighting back her tears. The Emperor's throne room is the last place anyone would want to be caught crying, but she just couldn't help herself. The Emperor frowned upon shows of emotion in his presence, and watching the emotional wreck before him made him curious as to whether or not she would carry out his orders.

The Emperor began brainstorming possible solutions to this little matter, and after a while came upon one that suited him just fine. "Very well. You're dismissed," he declared, at which Alexis slowly stood up, her head still down in a vain attempt to mask her emotions. "Leave the door open behind you as you leave. And remember, you have until noon three days from now. Being the smart girl that you are, I trust you'll make the right decision. Do not betray my expectations."

Alexis slowly started out of the throne room barely holding her composure together, and after a minute or so that felt like hours to her, finally reached the massive door leading out into the royal hall. Leaving the door open behind her as the Emperor ordered, she made her way out of the castle and to her transport, all the while trying to hide the despair that had taken hold of her being mere minutes prior.

"Joel! Get in here!"

At his master's command, the bodyguard from before rushed into the throne room and kneeled before the Emperor as fast as he could. "What is your wish, O exalted one?"

"I want you to follow young Alexis and make sure she carries out the mission I have bestowed upon her. If she has not done so by noon three days from today, notify me immediately."

"Yes, my lord, but…what mission is that?"

"She is to defeat young Maryaka in a card duel. Maryaka is starting to become something of a problem, one that must be dealt with quickly and as efficiently as possible. Do you understand?"

"Clear as a crystal, your Majesty," Joel assured him. "Truthfully, I never really thought Maryaka's intentions were on the ball, and-"

"Yes, yes, I get it already! Now get going!"

"At once, your Majesty." As he spoke, Joel rose up and gave one last bow before leaving the throne room. As soon as he exited the throne room, he wasted no time in finding out where his target had gone. A soldier who had just arrived at the castle told Joel that he had passed Alexis's transport, which appeared to be heading northward, possibly towards her main castle at the Maryah-Denn Plains. Upon hearing this information, Joel promptly boarded an imperial sky cruiser and set course for Castle Maryah-Denn to fulfill the mission he received from the Emperor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A New Declaration

To say that the imperial continent of Rondeval was large and vast would be a serious understatement. Traveling from the northernmost point of Vaxi Island to the southernmost point of the forbidden stretch of Sygh-Varths on foot, as most of the citizens are forced to travel, would take almost three months. For this reason, unless they had a transport vehicle of some sort, most of the common folk wouldn't even try to travel far from their hometown. Unfortunately, due to inconceivably high taxation, most of them couldn't even dream of affording a means of transport.

In the entire continent, the region with the largest proportions is the province of Nonnber, which was the continent's capital city until about fifteen years ago. Despite losing part of its former glory, though, the region has still managed to hold together during these difficult times. The reason for this may have something to do with a powerful imperial figure that lives within the castle in the northwestern part of the region…

Inside the castle, three imperial soldiers watched as one of the staff, a huge, muscular man with long orange hair, was rummaging through his quarters, looking for something. He had a match to attend in just less than five hours, and since the trip to the Colosseum on foot took about that long, he had no time to waste. If only his commander hadn't taken the last of the transports, he wouldn't have to rush so quickly to prepare.

"Sir, relax!" one of the soldiers spoke up. "He said he'd be back from his errand in time to get you to the Colosseum!"

"Bah! Are you kidding?" the large man roared, causing the soldier to back up slightly. "Did you forget how long it took last time? I'll be lucky if he gets back by next week! Now, where did I put my…"

Just as he resumed looking, a fourth soldier appeared at the entrance to the large man's quarters. "Excuse me, sir," he spoke up after a few seconds of bewilderment at his commander's rushed state. "There's someone here to see you."

The large man didn't even stop to turn around. "I don't have time to waste squabbling! I got to be somewhere in a few hours!"

The guest walked into the room anyway. "Hey Mammoth, guess who?"

Mammoth recognized the voice immediately. He promptly spun around to confirm his suspicions as to the voice's owner. He looked down…

And saw Gizmo staring up at him.

"Gizmo!" he shouted ecstatically as he picked up his miniature acquaintance with enough force to throw a house ten feet into the air. "You're out of the hoosegow already? That means…"

"All right, calm down, Mammoth," a voice spoke up. Mammoth adjusted his view and spotted Maryaka also at the door to his quarters. "Didn't I already tell you I wouldn't be long?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But nothing! I'm not going to let you miss your match. After all, I have tickets for Gizmo, Jinx and myself to go see your match." Maryaka flashed two tickets and handed one up to Gizmo, who was beginning to turn blue in the face from lack of oxygen.

"Oops! Sorry about that, little man." Mammoth gave a sheepish laugh as he set Gizmo back on the floor. "Anyways, it's a relief knowing how quickly you got him back, Prince."

"Thanks," Maryaka replied while placing his hands into the pockets of his coat, "because I'm really not sure how much longer I can-"

"Hey! Everyone!" A fifth soldier, who came barreling down the hall towards the group, a flustered look upon his face, interrupted Maryaka. "Come quick! The Emperor's got an announcement to make in five minutes! He's got a new law to enact!" The soldier then raced back the way he came, wheezing as he took each step.

"Huzzah," Maryaka flatly cheered as he and the others made their way to the large television-like screen in the castle foyer.

Little did any of them suspect that in five short minutes, their lives would become more complicated than ever before.

* * *

Everyone in Castle Nonnber was clamoring in the lobby by this time, eagerly waiting to hear what new law the Emperor was going to add to his mile-long list. Maryaka and the group from before had achieved choice spots at the front of the crowd, and another person – a girl with pale-white skin and purple hair that was tied upwards on either side of her head by one of two black bands – had since joined them. Most of the crowd had their eyes glued to the giant screen on the wall just above the castle entrance, while a select few were twiddling their thumbs waiting impatiently for the announcement.

"Geez, how long does that guy expect us to wait?" Gizmo griped. "This is boring!"

"Relax, Gizmo," Maryaka said in response. "Hopefully, it won't be too much longer."

"I told you guys we should've brought snacks," Mammoth complained. "I'm so hungry, I could eat at least twelve whole turkeys right about now!"

"Stop whining," the girl said to him. "You're always hungry. What makes this time so special?"

"Shut up, Jinx. I'm starving like heck, and instead of eating, I'm waiting for this stupid announcement to take place!"

"All of us here would much rather be doing something else, you big crybaby, but we have to listen to this new law or risk accidentally breaking it. And trust me, the Emperor has zero tolerance for lawbreakers, accidental or otherwise."

"I know, but if it's so important, why doesn't he just-"

"Shush!" one of the soldiers behind him said. "It's starting."

The foyer was now deathly quiet as the Emperor's menacing visage flashed upon the screen. In his left hand was a golden scepter decorated with rubies and emeralds, which he always carried with him in case someone decided to make a move against him. A single blow in the right spot, and the insurgent would be unconscious - and as good as dead. Few people ever did so, however; the few people who didn't fear him respected him as a deity – and aside from the soldiers, that was an infinitesimally small number of people.

The Emperor cleared his throat after a few seconds of fanfare, and then began with his announcement.

"People of Rondeval! Your exalted leader has a new law to set into enactment, so be silent and listen well! It has recently come to my attention that some of my officers feel the need to bring garbage duelists back into my glorious Empire. This ridiculousness is what motivated me to create this new law. As of today, nobody can be released from the Sygh-Varths maximum-security prison without my prior consent! Anyone caught attempting to do so without my permission shall be executed on the spot, and whomever they were trying to release will have their execution date moved closer. Your Emperor has spoken!"

After a few seconds of additional fanfare, the screen went blank, leaving mixed feelings in its wake. Maryaka was disgusted that the Emperor would go to such lengths to eliminate any weak duelists in the Empire just because they were weak. Gizmo began to despair as it dawned on him that there would no longer be any second chances for him; given his dueling record, he had good reason to be. Mammoth and Jinx, as well as an assorted few others among the Empire, became rather nervous for the same reason. At the same time, however, they were confident in their dueling abilities much more than Gizmo, so they felt somewhat more at ease than he did. As for the soldiers, they were for the most part indifferent to this new law, save for one…

Meanwhile, at the Sygh-Varths prison, Lee Headcutter was having the time of his life knowing that that insufferable Maryaka could no longer keep Gizmo away from the massive guillotine in the catacombs of the building. Lee wasn't the only one that was ecstatic about this latest development, though. In Gizmo's entire career as a Red Dragon duelist, even though there were a great many people whom his obnoxious demeanor annoyed, only one person truly despised him for what he was – a fellow machine monster-user named Bliman. Unlike Gizmo, whose career had gone down the tubes upon reaching Red Dragon status, Bliman was a well-known and skillful machine duelist for all his time in the employ of the Dark Dragon army. As soon as the new law went into effect, a wicked grin crossed Bliman's face as he went to his chambers in the secret Dark Dragon base to prepare for the day when he would defeat Gizmo and finally put an end to his "disgraceful use of the greatest blooming monsters this card game has ever produced", as he put it.

Realizing the degree of the dire situation at hand, Maryaka wasted no time in proceeding to solve the problem that was Gizmo's sub par dueling. As he made his way to his private quarters, Gizmo rushed after him, hoping he could find some way to improve Gizmo's chances of never again returning to the prison.

"Gizmo," Maryaka addressed the young follower as he reached the door to his room, "bring your deck to the dueling chamber in half an hour. It's high time we did something to prevent your execution from ever taking place."

"All right, Prince," Gizmo uncertainly replied as he turned to leave.

_I hope this works,_ Maryaka thought to himself as he entered his chambers. _After all, his next match will be his last chance, and if what __he__ says is true, I better make sure he wins._

* * *

The Sygh-Varths Duelist Colosseum – the one area in the whole Empire in which, because most of the duels fought here are purely for entertainment reasons, one could lose a duel without worrying about execution. One such match was a mere half hour away – a match in which Mammoth, the reigning champion, would be defending his title against challenger and former champion Slade Headcutter. Both sides could hardly wait – Mammoth for a rematch against his long-time rival, and Slade for his chance to shine once more.

As the two opponents anxiously waited for their cue, Maryaka, Gizmo and Jinx took their seats at the side of the ring, also eager to watch their man in action. But not all was well in the Colosseum this fine day. As Gizmo gazed around at the numerous spectators that nearly filled the stadium to capacity, he noticed something that made his blood run icy-cold. Seated directly across from him on the opposite side of the stadium was none other than Bliman, his greatest rival and enemy. Bliman took notice of Gizmo as well and grinned menacingly at him, which caused Gizmo to shrink into his seat.

"What's wrong with you?" Jinx inquired as she saw her companion wedged uncomfortably in his seat.

"Uh…nothing," Gizmo tried to assure her. "I just got stuck in my seat, that's all."

"Okay…" Jinx rolled her eyes, unconvinced by Gizmo's remark.

"I'm going to get some food," Maryaka stated as he rose from his seat. Once he was out of view, Gizmo again glanced towards Bliman's seat – and found it empty. He nervously looked back and forth hoping to locate his fearsome foe, which didn't happen for a while…until he had approached Gizmo's seat.

"Waah! Bliman!" Gizmo panicked, catching the attention of several nearby spectators.

"Jolly good that you remember my name, little snot," Bliman remarked snidely as he leaned in close. "I have one piece of advice for you: Give up dueling now, and maybe I won't have to squash you like a Basic Insect. Got that, lad?"

Gizmo cringed. He hated Bliman almost as much as Bliman hated him, but as much as he would love to finally mop the floor with this pretentious creep, he wondered if even with the intensive training he underwent with Maryaka just a few hours ago, he had what it took to do so.

"Hey! You!" A sudden shout caused Bliman to glance in the direction of the voice to find Maryaka and Mammoth approaching with two popcorn containers, four hot dogs and three soda cups in tow. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Bliman said nothing and took off towards his seat, turning around once halfway there to grin at Gizmo, who cringed as he did so. Maryaka watched him as he took his seat, recognizing him after a moment. He then glanced down at the nervous wreck that was seated right next to him.

"Ignore that guy, Gizmo," he told his young colleague. "After the special training you've been put through recently, you might just have a chance of beating that guy, even more so once we get that new monster tomorrow."

"What new monster?" Jinx, who had been listening in on them, was curious as to what kind of a monster could make a duelist of Gizmo's caliber a champion.

"A legendary machine-type monster," Gizmo spoke up. "Apparently, some guy at Anker-Hill has one on sale, and the Prince is going to get it for me tomorrow."

Jinx scoffed. "How come you always give Gizmo special treatment? Don't I or anyone else matter to you at all?"

"You guys don't need my help half as much as Gizmo does," Maryaka replied. "That's not to say that you, Mammoth, or any of the other Red Dragons don't matter at all to me. It's just…well, you get the picture."

"Yeah, yeah," Jinx grumbled. "You mind if I come with? My Duel Disc has been acting up recently, and I need someone to look at it. Please?"

"Knock yourself out."

"All right!" At this point, Jinx wondered if Gizmo didn't seem to care about her going; usually, he'd have said something either way. She looked down at him and found him eating one of the hot dogs Maryaka had gotten for them. Feeling a bit famished herself, she motioned for one of the other hot dogs, which Maryaka promptly handed to her.

"How much longer?" she asked after swallowing the first bite.

Maryaka checked the silver watch on his right-hand wrist. "About ten more minutes."

Jinx groaned. _Waiting is so boring, _she thought. _Next time, I'm bringing something to kill time._

* * *

Eventually, the ten minutes passed, as evidenced by the intensified cheering as the referee entered the stadium. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this afternoon's championship match! The Colosseum's filled to capacity, and for good reason – two champion duelists are about to do battle with each other for the championship crown! With the monsters and strategies these two have displayed throughout their careers, this match promises to be a real spectacle! And so, without further ado, let's bring out the challenger!"

The referee held his arm out towards the southern entrance to the stadium, and everyone else followed suit and turned their attention in that direction. "The previous holder of the championship crown has returned for a second shot at the big time! Please welcome the Dark Destroyer, Slade Headcutter!"

As the referee finished the introduction, the large iron doors opened up, revealing a man with a sturdy build and a general aura of dauntless might, as opposed to his lanky brother, who was not exactly the picture of confidence or strength. In addition, whereas few people had any sort of respect for Lee, this man's very presence instigated vigorous cheering from the audience. He waved to them as he stepped into the stadium.

"Why does this guy have to be related to Lee?" Gizmo had once asked Maryaka.

"I don't have the slightest clue," Maryaka had answered.

After a few seconds of waiting for the audience to settle down a bit, the referee went to introduce the reigning champion. "And now, let's bring out his opponent, the Beastly Brutalizer and reigning champion of the Colosseum, the mighty Mammoth!"

The iron doors on the northern side of the stadium began to open up now, with Mammoth standing right behind them. As he entered the stadium, he flexed his arms in a showing-off manner, garnering loud cheers of his own as well as a few whistles from some of the girls.

The combatants approached one another. "You ready for this?" Mammoth asked, determining whether his opponent was raring to go or having second thoughts about the match. "It's not too late to turn back, you know."

Slade shook his head. "No way. I came this far for a reason. I'm not about to back out now."

"Suit yourself," Mammoth said in a warning tone of voice. "Just know that I'm not going to let up during this match."

"I wouldn't want you to," Slade retorted. "I want to crush you at your best."

Mammoth gave a soft chuckle as the referee approached them with a quarter in hand. "It's time for the coin toss to determine who takes the first move. Mammoth, your call."

"Heads," Mammoth chose as the referee tossed the coin and pressed it on the back of his left hand with his right. He removed his right hand and saw that the coin had landed on tails. "Sorry, Mammoth. Slade's pick."

"Ah, he can go first." Slade's remark confused Mammoth for a second or two, but he shrugged it off quickly; Slade had a knack for confusing the opponent like this.

"Very well, then," said the referee before turning on his microphone. "The first move goes to Mammoth! Now, duelists, take your places, shuffle your decks and draw your hands!"

The audience watched in silence as the two duelists moved to their designated spots, marked by red circles on the floor. Gizmo started to wonder which of these two would end up winning; he knew how strong Mammoth was, but his opponent was also powerful. Maryaka felt the same way; in his opinion, the duel could go either way.

"And…begin!"

* * *

Originally, Alexis had planned on attending Mammoth's match that afternoon with Maryaka, but after her meeting with the Emperor a few hours ago, she just wasn't in the mood to go anymore. She opted instead to watch the match from her castle at Maryah-Denn, at which she had arrived moments ago. Some of the stress stemming from the meeting had dissipated, but she was still dispirited about having to challenge Maryaka for his position. She never had any feelings of resentment or malice towards him; much less believe that she'd be the one to bring him to his doom. _What am I supposed to do? _she thought to herself. _I only have three days to either get him killed or get myself killed. Why…why did this have to happen to me?_

"Lady Alexis?" A sharp knock on the door and the voice of her newest follower, Mizumi, snapped Alexis out of her dark train of thought. "Are you okay?"

Alexis took a second to pull herself together and tried not to sound despondent in her reply. "Yes, I'm fine."

It didn't work. "You don't sound fine," her acquaintance noted. "You've been pretty down ever since a few hours ago. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

"I doubt that. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

Alexis quietly thought for a while. It was obvious that Mizumi wouldn't leave her alone unless she knew why her leader was so downtrodden. Looking back, she realized she was the same way with Maryaka on numerous occasions. A small smile turned up on her face as she remembered how she kept poking her nose into Maryaka's matters whenever he seemed gloomier than usual. At one time, she overheard him referring to her as "something of an annoyance". _I wonder if this is how Maryaka feels about me, _she mused to herself.

"Milady? Are you still there?"

"Yes," Alexis told her. "All right. Come in. I'll tell you everything."

Promptly, Mizumi opened the door to Alexis's quarters and sat down on the bed next to her disheartened leader, who then proceeded to tell her of the events that took place just a few hours ago. Mizumi listened eagerly as Alexis told her of the meeting with the Emperor and of the task he sent her to accomplish that brought about this drastic change in her demeanor.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a third person was also listening to this rundown of events.

Positioned within a few thick bushes below the second-story window in Alexis's chambers, Joel was using a listening device to hear every word she spoke. Unlike her, he had no problem undergoing the mission bestowed upon him by the Emperor, which was to make sure she got her job done within three days. For reasons few people seem to understand, Joel was committed to clearing every one of the missions the Emperor assigned him to, no matter how tedious or ridiculous, and this one was no different. Still, after a few minutes that seemed like hours listening to this constant chattering about what he already knew, he couldn't help but yawn. As he did so, a mosquito that was buzzing around like crazy trying to get a drink of Joel's blood ended up going straight into his throat, causing him to choke slightly. The resulting rustling of the bushes caught Alexis and Mizumi's attention, and after a couple of shocked squeals, they rushed to the window to see what was going on.

By the time they looked outside, Joel was long gone; he had heard their shouts of surprise and hightailed it as fast as he could. In his haste, however, he had left behind the listening device, which immediately caught their notice. Both girls turned pale-white as it sunk in that someone had been spying on them. Without a second thought, Alexis closed the window and put down the blinds to prevent any future spying attempts.

Mizumi shuddered. "That was so freaky! I think someone is trying to stalk you!"

"I know," Alexis confirmed, "but who…and why?"

"Don't know, but we have to do something! You can't just let this sort of thing go by the wayside, you know. Maybe we should get in touch with Marya-"

"No!" Alexis interrupted. "Didn't you hear a word I said earlier? I think we should stay away from him for a while, so I don't…you know."

"But you wouldn't...would you?"

No answer. Instead, Alexis turned her back to Mizumi.

"Lady Alexis…? You're not thinking of actually…are you?"

Alexis merely sighed.

"Milady!?" Mizumi started to panic. "You can't! I mean…" She stopped when she heard a soft sniffle come from her leader. "If you don't want to, then just don't. We'll figure out some way to keep you both alive. I promise."

Alexis turned her head slightly to look at Mizumi, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Really?"

"If that is your wish, then yes. We'll find a way to spare you both. Of course…" Mizumi grew concerned as she made a grave realization. "…It might get us in trouble with the Emperor, but still…"

"Mizumi…" Alexis stopped her for a second. "I know you want to help, but…the only way to avoid the Emperor's wrath that I can think of is to flee the Empire, which is pretty much impossible. Let's face it – one of us is going to have to die."

Mizumi groaned. "Come on, milady, I think you're giving up too quickly. Somehow, I promise, we'll…" At this point, she stopped speaking and quietly gazed at the window for a while, wondering what lied in store for them in the near future…

* * *

"Go, Lycanthrope! Tear apart his monster with Carnivorous Claw!"

At Mammoth's order, the gray half-man, half-wolf stood on its hind legs, preparing to strike the green human-shaped specter emanating from the golden genie lamp situated in front of his opponent. The red device on its chest, which because of the several wires keeping it in place suggested that this monster may have somehow been man-made, glowed fiercely with a red light as the beast lunged viciously towards its foe, ripping it to shreds with its silver claws and causing it to retreat back to its lamp, which disappeared shortly thereafter.

Since La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp was poised for attack, and was destroyed by a stronger monster, Slade ended up losing some of his life points as a result of the battle. The damage from Lycanthrope's attack brought Slade down to eleven hundred life points, so at first glance, it appeared that he still had a chance to make a comeback.

But Slade knew better. Being Mammoth's favorite monster, he knew full well what Lycanthrope was capable of. Whenever it causes battle damage to its opponent's life points, it inflicts an extra two hundred life points worth of damage for each Normal Monster card in its owner's Graveyard. And with seven such cards in Mammoth's Graveyard, Slade knew he was beaten…again.

Realizing that the match was over, the referee approached the center of the stadium with his microphone in hand. "The championship match is now over! It appears that the Beastly Brutalizer will remain as the Colosseum champion! Better luck next time, Dark Destroyer!"

The two duelists approached each other and gave a congratulatory handshake. "I was so close to actually beating you this time!" Slade informed his opponent. "If you hadn't gotten that accursed ace card of yours on the field when you did, I would've won!"

"Perhaps," said his opponent, "but you still lost. It couldn't be helped. Still, though, that was the closest anyone came without actually beating me."

"Yeah, well…good job anyway, pal. Enjoy the limelight." Slade gave a small shrug and turned to leave. "Keep in mind, though – I'll be back for the championship title soon!"

"I'll be looking forward to that!" As Slade continued to leave, Mammoth started parading his musculature again for the audience, whose cheering was by this time bordering on deafening.

Maryaka rolled his eyes at Mammoth's showboating. "Geez, no need to get a swelled head over one victory, you big goof."

Gizmo was amazed at how close his colleague came to losing, even more so that he actually won. "Wow…I wonder if I'll ever be that good."

_Who knows,_ Maryaka pondered to himself. _If things come to pass as __he__ says they will, you may yet have your chance to make a name for yourself, Gizmo._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Onward to Anker-Hill

"Wow, big guy, that was some battling back there," Jinx told Mammoth during the return trip to Castle Nonnber.

"I know!" Gizmo declared. "Did you see how close he came to actually losing?"

"Uh, yeah. I was there, too, you know."

"Yeah, but he won! He almost lost, but he pulled his ace card at the last second and won!"

"It was certainly worth the ticket price, that's for sure," Maryaka joined in. "What say you, Mammoth?"

"That was pretty close to being my best work," Mammoth said. "Still, I probably could've done better if my ace had come a little sooner."

"You're telling me. Even duelists of my caliber have that issue every now and then." Maryaka brought the land cruiser to a stop just outside of Castle Nonnber. "Still, this calls for a celebration. I've notified the soldiers to prepare a banquet in honor of your achievement."

Mammoth's jaw hung open for a moment. "Seriously!?"

"Just try not to eat everything beforehand...again. We don't want a repeat of last time." Maryaka's commentary earned an embarrassed chuckle from Mammoth.

As Maryaka and the others entered Castle Nonnber, the place was abuzz with imperial soldiers running this way and that, getting everything ready for the event that was to take place later that night. A few of them did congratulate Mammoth on his championship victory, but for the most part, they were more interested in the celebration. Of course, so was Mammoth. Just barely managing to control his hunger-based impulses, he nervously paced back and forth about the dining room, glancing at the clock that hung on the wall at the far end of the table waiting for six o' clock to come.

After what seemed like forever (at least for Mammoth), the feast finally began. A buffet table had been brought into the dining room, upon which sat a vast number of foods, ranging from appetizers like jumbo shrimp to large meat items such as turkey and ham. The amount of food provided for the feast was enough to satiate at least seventeen normal appetites, though whether it was suitable for Mammoth's was questionable. In fact, if Maryaka hadn't threatened to confiscate half his rations for the next month, Mammoth would've probably just dove right in and began scarfing everything.

Before the feast officially commenced, Maryaka garnered everyone's attention by gently striking his drinking glass with a spoon. "Everyone, listen up!" He gave everyone a moment to settle down before resuming. "I'd like to propose a toast to Mammoth, whose championship victory earlier today inspired the preparations for this feast. May he continue to perform well in battles yet to come!"

The end of the speech was followed by applause and a few positive comments for Mammoth, who grinned somewhat smugly. After that, Maryaka gave the heads-up to begin eating, which everybody jumped at. The remainder of the feast, which lasted about half an hour, mostly went off without a hitch. The only exception was one point where Gizmo and Mammoth simultaneously reached for a single piece of ham, resulting in a tug-of-war between the two. That came to an end when Maryaka took up a meat knife in his hand, twirled it around for a bit...

...And slammed it down in a vicious overhead slicing motion.

Everyone at the table flinched as the blade struck the table with a loud chop, but when they looked over, they saw that Maryaka had merely cut the ham into two similar-sized pieces. Waving the knife in his hand, Maryaka said with a hint of warning in his voice, "We're not going to have any more of that, now are we?" Gizmo and Mammoth both shook their heads in response, and that was the end of it.

During the feast, a conversation regarding the following day's agenda eventually came up. "By the way, Prince," Gizmo began, "you never did tell me what monster you're going to get for me tomorrow."

Mammoth, who hadn't yet received word of their expedition, was curious. "Eh? Wha ne montha?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"I did not understand a word you just said," a disgusted Maryaka responded. "Swallow your food, then talk."

After struggling to force the mass of food down his esophagus, Mammoth asked again, "What new monster?"

"Nobody told you yet?" Maryaka glanced at Gizmo, then at Jinx, both of whom merely shrugged. "Well, anyway, Eustace tells me he got a rare Machine-Type monster card up for sale recently, and I'm going to go pick it up at Anker-Hill first thing tomorrow morning. According to what I heard, this monster is among the strongest of the machine class, which will hopefully benefit Gizmo enough to keep him away from the prison for good."

"Wow. What monster is that?" Mammoth queried.

Just as Maryaka was about to answer, one of the soldiers that had been standing guard outside the castle entrance came into the dining room without warning. "Master Maryaka," he addressed the Imperial Prince, "Master Joel wants to have a word with you outside."

"Can't it wait?" Maryaka complained. "I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

"He says it's imperative that you see him at once, no exceptions."

"All right, fine." Heaving an exasperated sigh, Maryaka rose from his seat at the far end of the dining room table. "You guys keep going. Hopefully, I won't be too long."

"Good luck, Prince," Gizmo shouted as Maryaka left. "Joel's a weirdo, so be careful!"

Within a few minutes, Maryaka had reached the castle gates where Joel impatiently stood waiting. As he stepped outside, he stared blankly at Joel, who glowered back at him through the visor on his helmet. It was painfully obvious that neither one of them took a liking to the other; Maryaka disliked Joel because of his adamant subservience to the Emperor, and Joel despised Maryaka for his tendencies to do whatever he wants, whether or not the Emperor condoned it. As a result, the two seldom spoke to one another, and when they did, they made sure to get it over with as quickly as possible. They figured that the less time they spent together, the less chance they had of going at each other's throats.

"Prince," Joel said in a forced manner of courtesy.

"Joel," Maryaka greeted in a flat tone of voice. "I'm kind of busy now, so hurry up and state your business."

"This may come as something of a shock to you," Joel began, "but the Emperor has started to lose his patience with you and your ridiculous whims. In fact, I hear he's already started looking for a replacement second-in-command to take your place once you're gone."

"Really?" Maryaka appeared unfazed by Joel's words. "So you came all this way just to threaten me like this?"

"I came here to let you in on the Emperor's first choice for your replacement." Joel beckoned Maryaka to lean in closer, then whispered the name in his ear. "Alexis Hikari."

It took a second or two for Maryaka to comprehend what he had just heard. With all the people in the kingdom who wouldn't give a second thought to seizing his position as Imperial Prince, the Emperor had to go and pick someone who'd never even think once about taking up arms against him. As soon as it sunk in, he reached out, grabbed the collar of Joel's uniform, and squeezed it so tightly that the strain on Joel's neck began to choke him.

"If I find out that this is some kind of sick joke, then so help me Ra, you will morbidly regret it!"

"It's the truth! I swear to Slifer!"

Mulling over in his head what he had been told seconds ago, Maryaka released his grip on Joel's uniform, whose face was beginning to change color from respiratory issues. "As much as she doesn't want to go through with it, I'm afraid she has no choice. If she fails to comply within three days, she dies herself. But hey, at least you'd still get to retain your title, right?" Joel then burst into a wicked, mocking laughter that caused Maryaka's blood to boil in anger and frustration.

Just as it seemed that Maryaka was ready to lunge straight at Joel and take his head off, though, he held up a warning hand in response. "Hang on, Prince Charming. If you come after me like that, I can have you turned in for assault against a high-ranking imperial officer. Not even you can avoid reprimands from that."

Joel was pretty sure by now that he had his faux friend's emotions on a string, that a few more words would crush his spirit into miniature pieces. With his latest threat, however, Maryaka began to crack a smile and chuckle, which agitated him quite a bit. "What's so funny?"

"That bylaw you just mentioned," Maryaka explained, "only applies when a lower-ranked officer attacks a higher-up. With all the time you spend kissing up to the Emperor, you of all people should know that. Oh, and by the way, I never did plan on assaulting you to begin with. I merely fooled you into thinking so. You're slipping, Joel, big time."

Joel growled in frustration; he was now one among the dozens of others Maryaka had made fools out of. He began thinking about going after Maryaka, but restrained himself knowing he did not yet have the power to do so. As one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards, he knew he was superior to many of the others in the imperial staff, and because he knew no one could do anything about it, he had no qualms about flaunting his authority whenever he felt like it. He wasn't used to it being the other way around, so this situation made him greatly uncomfortable.

In the meantime, Maryaka's patience, which had already been slowly ebbing away, was now almost completely drained. "All right, Joel, if you have any other important matters to discuss, let me know right now. Otherwise, you've officially overstayed your welcome."

Joel scoffed. "Fine, I'll see myself out of this dump. Seriously, why do you insist on staying here? You could've booked anywhere in the kingdom as your base of operations, and you pick this grungy old castle-"

"Get going!" Maryaka was now back to being angry, which slowly dissipated as Joel disappeared into the background. With his nerves frazzled from the conversation, he decided to check in on the others once more before retreating to his quarters for the night.

He didn't have to look far, though, because almost everyone from the feast was now standing at the castle gate watching and listening to him and Joel. (A few select soldiers had stayed back to guard the remaining food from moochers.)

"That went pretty well," Jinx remarked. "Still, if he had mouthed off to another of his superiors, they'd have killed him on the spot."

"I know," Maryaka told her, "but I'm just not that cold-hearted. Even for someone as lowly and disgusting as him, I'd prefer not to kill him if I can help it."

"Yeah," Mammoth joined in, "but you can't just let him talk to you like that. You should have at least threatened him somehow."

"So what now?" Gizmo wondered. "If the Emperor's got Alexis after you, what will happen when you meet again?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Maryaka said through a yawn. "I'm turning in early for tonight. Anyone who's accompanying me to Anker-Hill tomorrow, be up and ready by seven. If we're too late, our prize may be in someone else's hands by the time we get there."

As Maryaka proceeded to his quarters to prepare for the following day, everyone else returned to the dining room to polish off the remnants of the feast. The next day would no doubt be a busy one, and everyone would have to be at their peak in order to see it through properly.

* * *

Alexis had a heck of a time getting to sleep that night, what with everything that had happened recently; the meeting with the heartless Emperor, the cruel mission she had been forced to undertake, and the stalker who had been spying on her. All within the course of half a day. As she lay in bed waiting to drift off to sleep, she pondered any possible ways to escape her current predicament. She did consider hooking up with Maryaka, but there was always the risk of running into someone who would turn her in for attempting to chintz out on a mission, and since the Emperor himself assigned her to it, it would be a nightmare of nightmares if that ended up happening.

Eventually, she settled on a solution that she felt would be her best chance of sparing her life without jeopardizing Maryaka's. She decided to implement her strategy early the next morning, and set her alarm to an early hour so she could prepare herself properly. However, as soon as she would be all set, she realized, she would probably never see Maryaka or any of her companions again. _Oh well, _she thought to herself, _no plan is completely perfect. _Still, she heaved a sigh of regret as her eyelids began to grow heavy. _Goodbye, Maryaka, Mizumi, everyone. I will sincerely miss you..._

Meanwhile, several rooms down the hall from Alexis's quarters, Mizumi was having no better luck getting to sleep than her mistress. Having been told of the events her commander had to put up with earlier that day, she felt a tremendous sense of pity for her, being forced to confront someone she had felt close to. At the same time, remembering the party celebrating her admission into the White Dragons, she felt guilty for having enjoyed herself while her new leader had gone through emotional turmoil that not even Dian Keto herself could cure.

"I need something to help me sleep," she muttered to herself as she got up from her bed. "I just hope Lady Alexis can hold together until tomorrow. By then, maybe I'll have thought of some way to help her." She took a flashlight from the nightstand into her hand and proceeded out of her quarters toward the kitchen, hoping there was some milk left to heat up.

* * *

As the sun peered over the jagged tips of the White Dragon mountains, a Droll Bird perched itself atop the roof of the trader's market near Castle Right-Arm, one of the two castles on either side of Castle Nonnber that worked to protect the main castle from enemy attack. When it had made itself cozy on the roof and rested its wings from the long flight it made from Obelisk knows where, it performed a routine that it had exercised many mornings prior. It shook around roughly to limber up, took a deep breath...and let loose with an ear-splitting wail loud enough that the ground practically quaked in response. As per routine, however, the wail was cut short when a thrown rock accompanied by a shout of "Shut up!!" served to drive the tone-deaf monster away from the vicinity.

Fortunately for Maryaka and company, the soundproof windows in their sleeping quarters served to block out the high-decibel noise so it wouldn't wake anyone up any sooner than they would've liked. Otherwise, they would be groggy and on edge every single morning, which would inevitably lead to disaster. Of course, the fact that Maryaka, Gizmo, Mammoth and Jinx each left their windows open overnight pretty much negated that feature, but then again, they planned on waking up early this day anyway.

Upon awakening to the shrill cry, Maryaka checked the time on his electronic clock: five forty-three. Perfect. He would only take about twenty minutes or so to get ready for his trip - take his shower, eat breakfast, etc. This left him with a lot of time to use for whatever else he could think of to do in the meantime. Hopefully, that wouldn't include breaking up any squabbles between his subordinates, but given their attitude towards one another, that might be a possibility. In fact, after his shower, as Maryaka tied back the brown mass of hair atop his head into a ponytail save for two strands in front of his face, he heard a commotion coming from in front of the men's shower. Apparently, Gizmo and Mammoth were arguing over who would get to take their shower first. Maryaka rolled his eyes as he threw on his cerulean coat and proceeded to quell this dispute.

As soon as everyone was ready to go, which took just under an hour, they proceeded towards Maryaka's exclusive transport vehicle - a sleek black land cruiser named Dark Lightning. One of the fastest vehicles in the Empire, it could cover the distance between Castle Nonnber and the Anker-Hill outpost in less than one minute. The same distance on foot would take about four hours to traverse. Combine that with its twenty thousand miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency, its amazing durability and visually appealing design, and it's no wonder why Maryaka prizes it so.

Before anyone realized it, they had made it to the outpost village of Anker-Hill. In the past, back when there were two continents making up the planet of Zircona, this was the place to obtain goods imported from Yoakeshima, Rondeval's sister continent. However, since the conclusion of the Great War of Rondeval, all access to Yoakeshima has been forbidden as decreed by the Emperor of Rondeval, making imports an impossibility. These days, Anker-Hill is merely another trading market where people go to purchase, sell or trade merchandise.

As Maryaka opened the door to a market that was once upon a time a fortress, he and his party - Gizmo, Mammoth, Jinx and Derek, a soldier who had decided to tag along at the last minute - were greeted by a few hellos from one of the nearby tables. Upon closer inspection, Maryaka came to recognize them as a few of his childhood friends - Sara, the brains of the outfit; Patrick, the brawn of the team; and Dimitri, the voice of reason among the three. They were the ones responsible for teaching Maryaka how to play the Duel Monsters card game in the first place, and with their tutelage, Maryaka had become a skilled competitor in nothing flat. He felt infinitely grateful to them not simply because of their teachings, but because they showed him what "common folk", as the Emperor described them, are capable of. Slifer knows how Maryaka would've turned out if he hadn't met them when he did.

As Mammoth went off to kill time and Jinx went to get her Duel Disc serviced, Maryaka proceeded to the counter where the purveyor, a middle-aged man of average stature, was waiting. "Hey, Eustace, guess who?"

"Ah, Maryaka! I haven't seen you in a few months!" Eustace greeted him. "You must've been pretty busy lately, huh?"

"No kidding. One day I'm running a maintenance check at Chelyunn Fort, the next I'm chasing some vagabond through Uruvie Canyon." Maryaka heaved a sigh. "Work's starting to let up a bit, though. I've not received a mission these past couple of days."

"In that case, maybe you could put in a requisition for a vacation."

"I'm thinking about it." Maryaka started twirling a strand of hair that he missed while tying his ponytail around his finger.

Eustace gave a soft chuckle. "It's amazing, kid. The first time I saw you, you were this little child who was still learning the basics to Duel Monsters. Now, fourteen years later, you're the second most powerful man in the Empire. Time certainly makes fools of us all, eh?"

"I guess..."

"Anyways, that's probably enough with the reminiscing. I presume you're here to see that card I told you about?"

"That's right. Do you still have it?"

"Right here." Eustace fidgeted around one of the boxes of cards he had in stock exclusively for those associated with the Empire. After a while, he withdrew a card from its contents and held it with its back facing Maryaka. "This here is one of the strongest machine cards in the game, so I'm selling it for an appropriate price: eight hundred gold pieces. Of course, I do have a preferred customer discount, if you're interested..."

"That's fine, thanks, but I'd prefer otherwise. So, what is it?"

Eustace turned the card around so Maryaka could see the face. Upon doing so, he whistled in awe, then looked around for Gizmo, who was next to him jumping up to try and get a look at the card also. Maryaka lifted him up by the shoulders, allowing him to gaze at the card that would soon be his. Once he saw the card for himself, Gizmo's jaw dropped at its magnificence.

The monster at which they were gazing was called Ancient Gear Golem, a machine monster that, despite its rusty appearance, possessed great destructive power as evidenced by its attack and defense power of three thousand points, its ability to cause piercing battle damage, and its ability to block the activation of Spell and Trap cards while it attacks. Such a monster would be beneficial to any machine expert's deck, let alone Gizmo's, especially considering the popularity of Traps such as Sakuretsu Armor, Magic Cylinder, and Draining Shield among duelists in the Empire. Even Mirror Force, which at this point only Maryaka seemed to have, would be virtually powerless to stop this thing, which made Maryaka sweat.

"Wow," Gizmo said after a while. "That thing's awesome."

"I'll say," Maryaka responded. "I can see why it costs so much."

"Indeed. So, do we have a sale?" inquired Eustace.

"Now hang on a second!"

Everyone turned toward the entrance of the former fortress at the sudden outburst. Maryaka glowered, Gizmo shuddered, and everyone else just stared with feelings of either fear or disgust at the man now standing in the doorway.

It was none other than warden Lee Headcutter.

"Eustace, I don't see why he should automatically get that monster!" Lee's voice grated with a slight hint of frustration. "Is it because he's the big bad Imperial Prince? Or is it possible that you're hoarding away cards for him just because you guys are old chums? Well? Is it?"

Eustace snorted. "So what if I am? It's not any different than what you're making me do! I mean, seriously - forcing me to keep certain cards exclusive to you elitist scoundrels?"

"Well, looks like the old buzzard finally decided to spread his wings." Lee was already beginning to lose what little patience he had. "Listen, old man, I want that card as much as they do, and when I want something, I get it one way or another! Or have you forgotten that little incident a few years back?"

Eustace cringed at the reminder. He remembered full well the events of four years ago; how Lee butchered at least seven different people just so he could get his hands on the last remaining piece of his greatest monster. Worst of all, as if it was no big deal whatsoever, the Emperor had issued a public pardon for Lee's actions that day! It was no more pleasant remembering it this time around than it was actually seeing it up close.

"So, just turn over that card and I'll be on my merry way."

"I don't think so." Maryaka decided to step forth and intervene as soon as he realized what Lee's true intent might have been. "I don't care how badly you want it, you're not getting this card."

"Oh really? And just how do you plan to stop me?"

"By challenging you for it. If I win, we get the card and you leave. If you win, I'll purchase the card for you. What do you say?"

Lee smirked. "Under one small condition."

"Which is?"

Lee pointed his right index finger at Gizmo. "He will fight in your stead."

Gizmo instantly blanched. "M-me...?"

Maryaka growled. His suspicions toward Lee's motives were officially confirmed. He didn't care about possessing the card; he just wanted Gizmo's head upon his mantle! "Why should I agree to that?"

"Surely you remember the new law that went into effect yesterday. This is my chance to finally put that miserable wretch away once and for all! I am not going to pass that up!" Lee gave a manic laugh as he finished his response.

_That guy is a madman, _Jinx thought to herself. _Who actually takes pride in the killing of others?_

"You're a psycho," Maryaka spat. "If anyone, you should be put in jail just for being criminally insane."

"That hurts my feelings, you wretch."

"I'm a wretch? What does that make you?"

"I accept!"

Gizmo's sudden declaration threw everyone in the room for a loop."Does that guy know who he's dealing with?"was the question on everyone's mind.

"You're serious?" Maryaka asked his companion.

"If I can't stand up to guys like him," Gizmo replied, "I'll never be a great duelist! If I'm gonna wind up back at the prison, I may as well get it over with now!"

Maryaka stared blankly at Gizmo for a moment, trying to process what may be going on in the little boy's mind. In the end, he came to the conclusion that Gizmo was ready to accept whatever fate had in store for him. "Very well, then. Just be cautious and play your hardest."

"No need to worry about that!" Gizmo whipped out his Duel Disc and pressed a button at the bottom, turning it on. "All right, you psycho, let's get this over with!"

"Wonderful!" Lee gave a laugh as he withdrew his Duel Disc and activated it. "Let's give these good people a battle they'll never forget!"

_Good luck, Gizmo, _Jinx thought to herself.

_Get him, little man, _Mammoth thought to himself.

_This is it, _Maryaka thought to himself. _Time to see if his prediction will come true or not._

"Let's duel!" Gizmo and Lee said in unison.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Mechanical Mayhem

"Alright, you little brat," Lee said snidely, "since we both know I'm going to win, I see no harm in allowing you the first move."

"Gee, I'm real honored," Gizmo sarcastically remarked as he drew his first card. "I start with one monster in Defense mode and two other down cards." As he placed his cards on his Duel Disc, holographic images of three card backs appeared in front of him - one horizontally, the other two vertically. "All right, let's see what you can do."

Lee chuckled sinisterly. "What, that's it? If that's all you can muster, this match will be over before you can say "Mechanized Melee!'" He drew his card, then proceeded to play one face-up - a card with a green border that identified it as a Spell card. "I activate Heavy Storm, whose effect destroys all other Spell and Trap cards on the field!" Upon placing his card in a Spell Card Zone, the spell triggered an intense gale which carried away two of Gizmo's cards - or at least, attempted to.

"Not so fast!" Gizmo had a plan that he knew was going to work. "I activate Magic Jammer! It negates your Spell card after I discard one card from my hand!" One of Gizmo's two non-monster cards opened up to reveal a purple-bordered Trap card, one which caused Lee's Heavy Storm card to short out and disappear from the field.

Lee was unimpressed. "Big deal. I now summon Sangan to the field!" As Lee put his monster on his Duel Disc, it projected an image of a small, three-eyed creature with sleek orange-and-black fur. It flashed the long claws at the ends of its green fingers as it showed up, trying to look tough, but in reality it was a fairly weak monster that most others could easily bring down.

"Are you messing with me?" Gizmo had come to the conclusion that Lee disregarded him as a threat by playing a one-thousand-attack monster in Attack position. "Even I can beat that thing! Just watch!"

"Did I say I was finished?" Lee grinned slightly as he picked another Spell card from his hand. "I'm going to offer Sangan to activate the Tribute Doll Spell! This allows me to summon a Level Seven monster from my hand!"

As Sangan vanished from the playing field in a wisp of purple energy, it was replaced soon afterwards by a much larger beast that appeared to resemble a dragon. This mechanical behemoth sported three large laser cannons on its back, which pointed downward towards Gizmo in an intimidating fashion. In an instant, Gizmo's bold confidence had given way to discomfort and nervousness.

"What's the matter, boy? Not quite as confident facing down my Barrel Dragon, are we?" Lee snickered malevolently as he spoke. "I should have assumed as much, given your dueling history. By this time tomorrow, your head will be mine!"

Gizmo cringed. "Just get on with it, already!"

"Not yet. First things first," Lee remembered. "Since my Sangan just went from the field to the Graveyard, its effect activates. I can pick any monster in my Deck with a maximum attack power of fifteen hundred and place it in my hand." After a few seconds of searching his Deck, Lee decided on Y-Dragon Head, just meeting the requirement at fifteen hundred attack. "Also, Barrel Dragon doesn't get to attack this turn since I summoned it using Tribute Doll. Pity...but at least I can still set off its effect."

"Which is?"

Once Gizmo finished his inquiry, the Barrel Dragon's three cannons began to light up. "Here's how it works, brat. The laser cannons on my Barrel Dragon will, one by one, begin to turn either red or green at random. If at least two of them end up green, your face-down monster will automatically be destroyed! Glorious, right?"

Gizmo swallowed to hold back his nervousness as the first cannon began flashing rapidly between red and green. Eventually, it settled on green.

Lee chuckled triumphantly as the next cannon started up, then groaned slightly as it ended on red.

Both duelists warily watched the last cannon as it started to alternate between red and green also. After a few seconds that seemed like hours went by...

It stopped on green.

A clear-colored energy began to circulate through the mecha-dragon's laser cannons as it prepared to strike. Once all three were fully charged, the cannons pointed down toward Gizmo's monster card. Before anyone knew it, three bright clear-colored beams hammered down on the defending monster with the force of twelve furious Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

Barrel Dragon's effect had successfully destroyed Gizmo's Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.

Again, Lee's manic laughter began to resonate. "Oh ho! That was way too easy! I'm starting to think that this whole match was a waste of time! Why not just give up now?"

Gizmo shrank back in concern. As much as he would've wanted to beat this guy senseless and send him home with his tail between his legs, he was starting to wonder if his bold challenge was a mistake. The Sygh-Varths prison warden was a psychopath - anyone could've seen that by now - but he was also the leader of the Dark Dragon army, whereas Gizmo was merely a low-ranked Red Dragon soldier. What possessed him to think he could win against Lee?

Suddenly, one of Maryaka's lessons from the day before rang in his head. "Don't give in after just one turn. Just because a duel starts unfavorably doesn't necessarily mean you're going to lose in the end." The advice put Gizmo slightly at ease, but only enough to encourage him to continue the match.

"No chance, weirdo. I'm not backing down."

Lee didn't really seem fazed by Gizmo's decision. "Fine, kid. Do it the hard way. It's your funeral...literally."

"So you think." Gizmo drew his card - and was taken aback. Just like that, he had a means of defeating Lee's mechanical monstrosity. "Get ready; this might just sting!"

Lee scoffed. "By all means, bring it, you little cockroach!"

Gizmo motioned to his last card on the field. "I activate Call of the Haunted! This lets me bring a monster in my Graveyard onto the field - the same one I discarded during your turn!"

Lee raised an eyebrow. "What is it, pray tell?"

The monster that appeared on the field was a slender gray-and-blue robot with red shoulder plates and forearms equipped with rocket launchers. It was constructed for combat purposes, and so it was built with a special feature - the ability to increase in strength by drawing on power from nearby machinery. At first glance, it seemed that even with the two-hundred points of extra attack power, Machine King wasn't quite strong enough to bring down Barrel Dragon...but Gizmo didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to think otherwise.

"Next, I equip Machine King with this Equip Spell - 7 Completed, which further increases his attack by seven hundred points!" As Gizmo's Spell card took effect, a seven showed up on the red circle on the robot's chest plate, causing the robot to become somewhat more vigorous. "Machine King, attack Barrel Dragon with Rocket Punch!"

Upon processing the command it had just been issued, the Machine King raised its arms and pointed them toward its adversary. The box-shaped forearms began to discharge flames from the surface opposite their fists, and before long, both of them went flying clean off the elbows and shot straight for their target. The heavy impacts were too much to take for Barrel Dragon, and it collapsed to the ground with a loud THUD.

Lee stared at the now-empty monster zone where his Barrel Dragon had terrorized the opposition just a few minutes prior, unable to process the fact that he had just been outwitted by the lowest-ranked duelist in the Empire. When it finally sunk in, he began to fume. "Grr...You just got lucky, that's all! Anyone can do what you did!"

Gizmo was the one to chuckle this time. "Oh yeah? Then why didn't you see it coming?"

Lee didn't answer; he was too much beside himself to do so. Not just he, but everyone watching was surprised by Gizmo's sudden turnaround move, a few of whom gave cheers in response. Even Maryaka, who had seen this sort of thing at least a hundred times beforehand, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in interest.

Feeling the positive vibes from the audience, Gizmo was both delighted and confused; he hadn't before been the subject of this sort of thing - it was usually Maryaka, Mammoth or Jinx they cheered for - but he did seem to enjoy it. "Guess I'm not as weak as you thought, huh Lee?"

"Whatever. If you're finished with your turn, I'll see to mine." Lee drew one card. "I activate a Spell - Nightmare's Steelcage, which prevents all attacks for the next two turns." As he activated his card, Gizmo became enclosed within a giant metallic cage that was meant to keep his monsters away from Lee. "I also place a monster in Defense position. Alright brat, let's go."

Gizmo drew his card, then groaned. "I can't do anything right now, so I'm ending my turn."

Lee scoffed. "Of course. I should've figured." He drew another card. "I place another Defense monster and end my turn."

Gizmo drew another card. "I place one down card and end my turn." When Gizmo finished with his turn, he noticed the steel cage around him beginning to vanish. "Oh yeah, your Steelcage spell only works two turns. That means I got the upper hand again!"

Lee snorted as he drew his card before an ugly smile crept onto his face. "Actually, you little punk, I'm the one who's about to send you reeling when I do this! I place a down card, and then..." He placed a new monster face-up on his Duel Disc, then took both of his face-down monsters and turned them face-up. "I summon X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank!"

The first of Lee's new monsters was a blue-and yellow machine monster outfitted with two cannon barrels situated on either shoulder. The next one was a red robotic winged dragon with an odd indent on its back that was apparently made to fit something spherical. Lastly was a yellow-and-blue tank with an eyeball of sorts built onto the front and strange rectangular patterns on its back. Separately, these three weren't exactly threats, especially considering their opponent.

"Ok, what are you up to?" Gizmo was puzzled. "You just summoned three new machine-type monsters knowing full well that mine gets one-hundred attack points for each one!"

"I know." Lee chuckled sinisterly. "That's why I'm going to combine them!"

"What? What do you mean?"

It didn't take long for Gizmo to get his answer. The first thing he noticed was Y-Dragon Head detaching its wings, which seemed to disappear shortly thereafter, and then placing its feet onto the back of the Z-Metal Tank, which were held together by powerful electromagnets. After that, the X-Head Cannon placed its spherical underside into the slot on the Y-Dragon Head's back. The three monsters had formed into one colossal mechanical menace that everyone in the audience stared at in awe and/or fear.

Gizmo winced, his confidence beginning to drain. "What is that thing?"

Lee chuckled. "This is the almighty XYZ-Dragon Cannon. Gaze upon its splendor, then fall victim to its power!"

"What power? My Machine King is three-hundred points stronger than your glorified scrap heap!"

"Yeah? Watch this." Lee took one card in his hand and placed it in the Duel Disc's Graveyard slot. "By discarding one card, my Dragon Cannon can destroy any card you have on the field! Guess who's gonna say his goodbyes now!"

Electrical energy surged through the mechanical monster as each of its three components focused on their target. As soon as it was fully charged up, it let loose with a furious onslaught of three different kinds of energy blasts. The X-Head Cannon fired bright lasers from its twin cannons, the Y-Dragon Head launched a stream of electricity from its mouth, and the Z-Metal Tank shot a volley of energy missiles from its eye fixture. The attacks hit with such impact that they appeared to go straight through the Machine King and continue without losing momentum.

Lee didn't like it. _Something's not right here. That blast went right through that machine monster as if it were made of butter, but that shouldn't be- _Lee's train of thought came to a stop once he saw that Gizmo's face-down card had opened, revealing a Trap card called Interdimensional Matter Transporter. _Oh, that's what happened._

"Guess you noticed my Trap card activated," Gizmo observed. "It removed my Machine King from the field for the rest of the turn, protecting it from your monster. Tough break, Lee."

"Yes, for you," Lee retorted, "because with no monsters left on the field, my Dragon Cannon can strike you directly! Attack with Electrical Laser Discharge!" The XYZ-Dragon Cannon was already charged to near-full capacity, so all it had to do was change the direction of its attack before blasting a huge chunk out of Gizmo's life points.

Jinx whistled a note. "That was a pretty big chunk of points he just lost."

"Hang in there, little man," Mammoth called out.

_All those life points for just one monster, _Maryaka mused. _I hope he has a plan._

"That had to hurt," Lee said as Gizmo drew his next card. "And that was to save a monster that is now weaker than mine! Or did that slip your mind? Huh?"

"I place one down card and end my turn." Gizmo chose not to acknowledge Lee's mockery, but he knew what he meant. When Machine King had left the field, its 7 Completed Equip Spell was destroyed, which meant it was no longer capable of attacking the Dragon Cannon. Still, that didn't mean that Gizmo didn't have a backup plan. Another of Maryaka's lessons during the training regime was "Don't blow your aces right off the bat. Wait until it becomes necessary before using them."

_Now looks like a pretty good time to use this. Nothing to do now but hope for the best._

"Very well, then." Lee drew one card. "I activate Card of Demise - a Spell that permits me to -"

Before he did so, however, Gizmo's face-down card opened up. "First, I'm going to activate this Trap - Raigeki Break! After I discard from my hand, I can destroy your Dragon Cannon once and for all!" Once Gizmo decided on a card to dispose of, the Trap card conjured a fierce, yet small stream of lightning that went straight for the mechanical monstrosity. Just as it was about to connect, however...

The XYZ-Dragon Cannon disappeared from the field, causing the lightning to strike the floor around it instead.

"Huh? What happened?"

Lee chuckled as he held up his Trap card. "You aren't the only one with an Interdimensional Matter Transporter in his Deck, you little brat."

_Darn, _Gizmo thought. _I was so close._

"With that little matter out of the way, my Card of Demise now activates. I draw cards from my Deck until I have five in my hand, but then, during the Standby Phase five rounds later, I must discard my entire hand. Not to worry, though - you'll be out of life points well before that."

Lee seemed somewhat satisfied with his new hand, but also felt like something was missing. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards. Can't have too much of a good thing, right?"

When Lee got a look at his new cards, an evil smirk once again formed on his face. "I summon V-Tiger Jet! Then I activate my Frontline Base Spell Card, which lets me summon W-Wing Catapult!" The first monster was a yellow-and-turquoise jet fighter with a tiger's head and paws near its wings; the second was a blue jet fighter with openings in the back of its shoulders.

Gizmo knew what was coming. "Don't tell me...these ones can combine also?"

"Exactly!" Lee grinned as his two monsters sprang into action. The V-Tiger Jet positioned itself atop the W-Wing Catapult, placing its paws into the shoulder openings to keep it in place. "This is the VW-Tiger Catapult, the next phase in my amazing strategy!"

Maryaka didn't like it. _It couldn't be...Is he planning to summon that monster? If so, it could prove disastrous for Gizmo._

"I place two down cards and end my turn." As Gizmo moved to draw his card, the XYZ-Dragon Cannon rematerialized onto the field, once again primed for battle. This concerned him at first, but when he got a look at his next card, he relaxed a bit.

"I activate Lightning Vortex! After I discard from my hand, this Spell will destroy both of your monsters!" A vicious lightning storm emanated from Gizmo's card, which crept its way toward Lee's side of the field. Before it reached its destination, however...it dissipated and disappeared.

"What happened?"

Lee snickered. "You are so easy to dupe, kid. I activated my Trap card, Solemn Judgment. Before your little lightning show could do any real damage, my Trap card blocked its effect. All I had to do in exchange was dump half of my life points."

"That seemed a bit expensive for just one card."

"Normally, yes, but in your case, I'm none too worried. You could use all the handicaps in the world and still never beat me!"

"We'll see about that. I place one down card. Now, Machine King, attack his Tiger Catapult!" As ordered, Machine King fired its rocket arms at the designated target. VW-Tiger Catapult was destroyed, but since it was in Defense position, Lee's life points went unscathed.

"Is that all you got?" Lee was a little miffed about losing his VW-Tiger Catapult...until he drew his next card. "Well, too little, too late, I'm afraid. I've still got this match in the bag!"

"Errgh..." Gizmo started to worry; Lee was up to something once again.

"I activate Monster Reborn, a Spell that brings a monster in either of our Graveyards back onto the field, such as my VW-Tiger Catapult!" Lee undid a hatch on his Duel Disc, which removed all the cards in his Graveyard so he could find the one he wanted. When he did, he put the card in his monster zone, then deposited all the rest back into his Graveyard.

"So what? I already stomped that thing once. You don't think I can do it again?"

"Your naivete amazes me. I didn't bring this card back for you to beat again. I have greater plans in store for it."

"Like...?"

"Like combining it with my XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

"You've got to be kidding me! Those two can combine also?"

"Of course, you little brat! Don't take my word for it, though - see for yourself!"

As soon as their owner gave the word, both of his mechanical fusion monsters went through a radical transformation. The Z-Metal Tank broke apart from its counterparts and disappeared - except for its treads, which were taken up in the X-Head Cannon's arms. The W-Wing Catapult went through a complete structural overhaul, transforming into a pair of leg fixtures that were fastened in the supports for the Y-Dragon Head's wings. The V-Tiger Jet positioned itself with its head over the X-Head Cannon's head right after the latter had pointed its shoulder cannons downward. Finally, to top it all off, the wings from the Y-Dragon Head reappeared and fastened onto the V-Tiger Jet's back. The end result was a colorful, towering conglomeration of five separate monsters that loomed over everyone and everything else in the room_._

_Ugh...He did summon that monster. _Maryaka was a bit concerned for his young follower. _Let's hope Gizmo can find a way out of this one._

"What on earth is THAT thing!?"

Lee seemed to relish the look of despair on his opponent's face. It was the same look that many others had given before he sent them to their deaths. "This, my young friend, is the most powerful monster in this deck - the infamous VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon! If you thought his predecessors were powerful, you haven't seen anything yet! Be prepared to fall!"

"Y-Yeah? Well...we'll see about that, right?"

"Of course. We'll see right now when I activate his effect! Each turn, I can remove one of your cards from play! Guess what that means!"

"I think I know. You're going to eliminate Machine King, right?"

"Exactly! Go ahead and do the honors, my boy!"

Gizmo watched nervously as the monstrous machine geared up to execute its special function. Within seconds, a pair of laser beams shot out of the mechanical giant's twin cannons and sped right toward Gizmo's only line of defense. Upon striking their target, the laser beams did not simply destroy the Machine King - they completely obliterated it beyond recognition.

"Alright, my Dragon Catapult, let him have it with a direct attack! Electrical Laser Annihilation!" This time, the Y-Dragon Head joined in the assault by launching a stream of electricity along with the twin lasers, all of which beelined toward Gizmo...only to be stopped midway.

"What? What's going on?"

Gizmo breathed a sigh of relief. "You should have gone for my face-down card, Magic Cylinder, because it not only safeguards my life points, it's about to hit you for damage equal to your monster's attack points."

Lee growled fiercely as his monster's attack was caught up in a giant cylindrical device. Once the attack was completely absorbed into the cylinder, it fired the same blast directly at Lee. He took heavy damage from the attack - almost enough to cause him to lose the duel. Needless to say, he was unhappy about it. "You little scum! I'll make you regret that! Just wait!"

Gizmo wiped the sweat off his forehead as he drew his next card. Unfortunately, the next card wasn't quite what he was hoping for. "I place a Defense monster and end my turn."

Lee's anger began to disperse slightly at this attempt to continue hanging on. "How pathetic. You saw what my Cannon is capable of. That thing alone can't protect you; I'll vaporize it, then blast you to hell!"

"Yeah? Let's see you try." Gizmo tried to sound confident, but the facade was painfully obvious to everyone.

One of Lee's main rules of thumb is to kick a foe while they're down if one is able. "You know, kid, I still have my Frontline Base Spell Card in play. I'm going to use it now to summon my Heavy Mech Support Platform, then I'm going to unionize it to my Dragon Catapult Cannon." This monster was a gray mechanical platform with rocket engines at its rear. As soon as it showed up, it flew toward the Catapult Cannon and lifted it up onto its back. "Not only does my Cannon receive five-hundred additional attack points, but the platform also protects him from destruction one time."

"Just get on with it, already!"

"Very well, then. Catapult Cannon, eliminate his monster, then strike him directly with Electrical Laser Annihilation!" The VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon used its special feature to remove Gizmo's "Robotic Knight" from play, then once again attempted a direct attack - but this time, it struck Gizmo uninterrupted. The holographic electricity/laser attack took a large chunk of Gizmo's life points, almost depleting them just as it did with Lee last round. Gizmo started to panic as he realized that if this happened again, he would certainly lose the duel.

Lee gave an evil chuckle when the attack was completed. "This is it, brat. If you don't pull a miracle draw now, you're dead meat."

Gizmo closed his eyes hoping for the best as he placed two fingers onto his deck. He picked up the card, withdrew it from the deck, then slowly opened his eyes to look at it. "I activate Pot of Greed and use it to draw two more cards." He drew his next two cards in a similar fashion...except this time, he brightened. _If this next plan succeeds, the duel will end right now in my_ _victory!_

"I activate the Spell Card Monster Reincarnation! By discarding my other card, I can put a monster in my Graveyard into my hand! And the monster I pick..." He took a second to peruse his Graveyard pile. "...is my Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, which I summon to the field!" Everyone was baffled as Gizmo summoned his monster, a strange fortress-like structure constructed of enchanted stones that somehow afforded it the ability to move of its own accord.

It took a while for Lee to process Gizmo's newest move. Eventually, he came to a possible conclusion. "Ah, I see; you don't want to surrender, so you're just going to let me win. Eh, whatever works for you, kid."

"Actually, that's not true. My Moving Fortress is going to end this right now! First, though, I gotta pay eight-hundred life points. Now, Gear Golem, attack him!" The strange fortress geared up to attack as the stones discharged an odd energy through it.

_What on earth are you thinking, little man? _Mammoth and a number of others thought in their own ways.

Except Maryaka, who knew exactly what was going on.

"What are you trying to pull?" a confused Lee inquired. "Even if, by some miracle of chance, you destroy my Dragon Cannon, my Support Platform will take the impact and shield it from harm!"

"I'm not even attacking your stupid cannon! See, if I pay eight-hundred life points during my Main Phase, Gear Golem can strike you directly during the Battle Phase!"

Lee's jaw dropped in sheer astonishment at this revelation. _No...If that's true, then that means..._

Before he could finish his thought, Gizmo's fortress had bypassed the VWXYZ- Dragon Catapult Cannon and slammed right into Lee, causing eight-hundred points of damage to his seven-hundred-fifty life points. It was official - the fearsome, merciless warden of the Sygh-Varths prison was felled by a duelist with a losing streak the size of Mammoth's stomach.

Once the duel had officially ended, the audience erupted in a cheering frenzy at what they had just seen. Mammoth ran over to Gizmo, lifted him up onto his shoulder, then started walking about with several others following him. "I have an idea. We should celebrate with a feast!"

"Didn't we just have one yesterday?"

"Yeah, so? This is probably bigger than my championship victory! It's not every day that the lowest-ranked player takes down a big-shot like Lee, right?"

"Yeah...I guess not." Gizmo began to grin. Now that he had beaten somebody of high standing in the Empire, he began wondering if this was the start of a new beginning for him. No longer would he be the butt of everyone's jokes or the target of anyone looking for an easy victory.

A slight tap on his shoulder broke him out of his train of thought. He turned around to find Maryaka handing his prize up to him - the "Ancient Gear Golem" monster card. "Here you go, Gizmo. You've certainly earned it."

"Thanks, Prince! I'll use it well!" Gizmo took the card from Maryaka's hand and stashed it into his deck in the blink of an eye.

"Be careful, Gizmo. Don't start getting a swelled head after just one victory. That often leads to self-destruction."

"That's right!" spat a red-faced Lee. "If anyone is to destroy you, it shall be me!"

Maryaka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because you did such a great job of it this time."

"You be quiet! He lucked out of a loss this time, but next time, he's going down!"

"Bring it on!" Gizmo shouted boldly. "I'll beat you anytime, anyplace!"

Maryaka sighed. "Gizmo, what did I just tell you?"

"Oh, I shall bring it when you least expect it!" A look of realization crossed Lee's face at that point. "By the way, Maryaka, I have news for you regarding your girlfriend, Alexis."

"She's not my girlfriend, whack-job. As for her assignment, Joel told me about it last night."

"Really? Did he tell you why the Emperor put her up to it?"

"He said it's because the Emperor doesn't like me. Not that I really care or anything."

"It's because you've completely fallen out of the Emperor's favor. All those little errands you've been running behind his back, your insubordinate attitude when he's not looking, putting off your missions until you see fit then just barely meeting the deadlines - you're not exactly the picture of subservience, are you?"

"Nope. Then again, if everyone was, the Empire would be totally boring, don't you think?"

"You think he gives a damn about it being boring?! He's trying to maintain his grip on the world here! He doesn't care whether or not it's boring or any of that bull!"

"Seriously, you need to calm down. You've got bright blue veins on your forehead."

"Gah! We'll see if you're this mouthy next time we meet!" Lee then stormed out of the Anker-Hill outpost grumbling and fuming. Once he had left, everyone else felt much more at ease...except for the Red Dragons, who wondered what would become of them if Maryaka ever lost his standing as Imperial Prince.

After the uncomfortable silence that followed, Gizmo was the first to speak up. "Prince...what did he mean by you falling out of the Emperor's favor and all that?"

Maryaka looked at Gizmo, who was surprised to see that he wasn't worried at all. "Relax, guys. The Emperor knows how valuable I am to his cause. He'll never kick me out of the Empire without a sound reason."

The Red Dragons seemed relieved to hear this, but some of the villagers had other concerns. "What about Lady Alexis, my Prince?" Sara spoke up. "You're not going to battle her, are you?"

"Here's what I make of the situation. Alexis was ordered by the Emperor to battle with me. If she doesn't do so within two days from now, she's going to have imperial soldiers on her tail looking to capture her in no time. I'm thinking of finding her in order to protect her from the Empire if that comes to be the case. That's how much of my plan I have worked out right now."

"Is that right?" Dimitri spoke up. "You'll have a much easier time of it if I come along with you."

Maryaka raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? This could be dangerous."

Patrick laughed heartily. "We're no strangers to danger, man! I'm coming too!"

"You guys aren't leaving me out of this!" Sara joined in. "We can take care of ourselves just fine!"

Maryaka took a second to think about it, then nodded. "Very well, then. We probably could use any help you can give. I hereby dub you three temporary Red Dragons!"

Patrick, Dimitri and Sara gave excited cheers once they had been deputized. This was their chance to show the Empire what they were made of. The other Dragons, however, didn't seem to think they had what it took. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mammoth asked his leader.

"Of course I do. After all, these three taught me how to play Duel Monsters when I was just a small child."

"Wow. Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Prince!" Derek rushed into the outpost looking quite perturbed. "Your transport - it's gone!"

"What?" Maryaka and his team ran outside to where the Dark Lightning was parked. Much to their dismay, it was nowhere to be found.

"Aw, come on! I just painted that thing!"

"Did Lee somehow do this?" Gizmo queried.

"Probably. I guess we're hoofing it, then."

"Hoofing it to where?" Patrick asked.

"To Castle Maryah-Denn." Maryaka motioned to the north, in the general direction of their destination. Now that the Dark Lightning was gone, the trip would take a few hours longer than they had hoped, but nonetheless, Castle Maryah-Denn was the best place to begin their search for Alexis Hikari...and unbeknownst to them, the next milestone in their lives.

"So, does this mean we don't get that celebratory feast?"

"Not now, Mammoth."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Prehistoric Pulverizer

Upon hearing the news of Gizmo's victory over Lee at Anker-Hill, Bliman was beside himself. "Poppycock! I don't believe for a bloomin' second that that miniature mongrel's mechanical misfits could out-duel someone like Master Lee Headcutter! This must be some sort of tomfoolery!"

One of Bliman's companions, a red-haired scientist with circle-lensed glasses, chuckled in a fashion that bordered on crazy. "I hate to break it to you, cue-ball, but it's true. Just a few hours ago, that little brat Gizmo actually defeated Master Lee in a duel! Crazy, yes, but that's what our scouts report!"

Bliman scoffed. "Master Lee must have taken it a tad too easy on the lad. Well, I certainly won't make that error when I destroy the little snot. As soon as we cross paths, I swear-"

"You can do that right now if you want." The scientist went to one of the cabinets in the Dark Dragon base's meeting room, withdrew a map of Rondeval, and spread it out on the large planning table in the center of the room. "From what our scouts reported, Gizmo and his companions are on their way here to Maryah-Denn. Since their land cruiser 'mysteriously' disappeared, they're stuck walking the length of the way, so they'll probably want to take the quickest possible route, which is through here." He pointed to a landmass that stood between northeastern Anker-Hill and southern Maryah-Denn. "Crossing the Gyuron Wastelands is not only safer than detouring through the Beastly Badlands here, it also provides a straight shot to Castle Maryah-Denn. This route would only take about half a day or so to traverse."

"Yeah, so what're you gettin' at?"

"I'm saying that if you hurry, you can cut them off at the Gyuron Wastelands. It'll only take a few minutes on a land cruiser, and Master Lee just got a new one in."

"Really?"

"Indeed. He says it was a real steal." The scientist chuckled at his statement. "Once you set up camp within the wastelands, all you gotta do is wait. Sooner or later, those guys're bound to show up. Savvy?"

"Smashing! I'll be on my way as soon as I'm ready!" Bliman then took his leave to prepare for his journey. _Alright, you little roach, I gave you fair warning when last we met, and you refused to heed it. Now you will pay dearly for your insubordination towards one of a higher rank than yourself. Let's see how you fare against a REAL machine master!_

* * *

The Gyuron Wastelands…

At one point in time, a group of pioneers set up a few scattered camps throughout this arid landscape with the intention of taming the harsh terrain. Doing so would've made traveling from Anker-Hill to Maryah-Denn so much easier and safer. Unfortunately, when Emperor Sivarthis Dragomire assumed the throne one-hundred-and-three years ago, he ordered that the pioneers cease their foolhardy mission with the understanding that they will never succeed at the rate they were going. Now, in addition to being the hunting grounds for several vicious species of monsters, it's also the prime gathering spot for troublemakers, criminals and other less-than-favorable sorts hiding from the law. Maryaka had once joked that this was where the Empire recruited soldiers and officials such as Joel or Lee. Apparently, he was right about the latter, though neither Joel nor Lee appreciated the joke very much.

Still, there remain a select few who retain their predecessor's dreams of conquering the wild wasteland. These people have set up their headquarters at the merchant office Rhuninn-Grahd in the northwestern point of the region. Despite repeated attacks from imperial soldiers unhappy about the insurgency, thieves and crooks looking for some extra gold or supplies, or vicious assorted predatory monsters itching for a pioneer repast, they manage to stay alive long enough to (hopefully) realize their goal. It's still unclear how that will turn out, but the pioneers are determined to see it through to the end, no matter what.

The merchant office also happened to be Bliman's first stop in his self-imposed mission. He parked the stolen cruiser within a small mountainous region a little ways south of the building to avoid drawing their attention. "This shack looks like a bloody good place to begin my hunt for the little vermin. I'm sure they won't mind if I let myself in."

Bliman threw open the doors to the building with no hint of subtlety whatsoever, startling just about everyone in the foyer. "All right, you lemmings, listen up! I, Bliman, Dark Dragon first lieutenant, am temporarily settling into this ramshackle excuse of a base. Anyone who fails to do as I say will sorely regret it. Is that clear?"

The pioneers, shell-shocked from Bliman's rowdy intrusion, nodded and muttered inaudible affirmations while Bliman made his way to the counter across from the door and threw himself onto a stool. "Smashing. I trust this place has anything halfway decent in the way of drink, what? 'Cause I'm bloody parched!"

"At once, lieutenant Bliman," the bartender murmured as he handed his new customer a list of beverages.

After purveying the list for a few seconds, Bliman snorted. "This all you got? Fine, then. Just get me a cola, chop-chop!"

"Say please, jerk."

Bliman was taken aback. "Wha-Who said that? Step forth now, or else!"

"I'm over here!" The person who addressed the Dark Dragon commander was a sort that was not commonly seen in Rondeval. He had sunglasses with pointed lenses and green hair pulled up into a mohawk. His green sleeveless leather jacket was open, revealing not much more than a lanky form and a black collar that was bedecked with rhinestones just like his black wristbands were. Overall, he looked like a vagabond punk. He didn't really seem to mind, though. In fact, he seemed to be proud of it.

After going over this man's strange appearance, Bliman snickered. "Oy! What are you supposed to be?"

The man didn't appear fazed by Bliman's rudeness; he was most likely used to it. "I'm pretty well-known around these parts, man. Some people call me the Prehistoric Pulverizer. Others call me the Triassic Terror. Still others call me the Cretaceous Crusher. Women call me handsome. You may call me Dino-Dude!"

"Well, you're certainly prehistoric, lad. I think that manner of dress went out of style sixty-five millon years ago."

"Like you would know, chrome-dome!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful manner, you loathsome cur! I'll have your head for that!"

"I'll speak to you however I damn well please! You're the one trespassing on my turf!"

"Oh, is that right? As an imperial official, I can go wherever I want, regardless of what anyone else feels. I'm here to stay until I see fit to leave."

"Then I have no choice but to drive you out the only way I can!" Dino-Dude went to a worn-out knapsack on the floor near the end of the counter, reached into it, and took out a Duel Disc. "I'll stomp you using my cards!"

Bliman laughed. "Surely you don't think you can win against me, do you? By the time I'm through with the likes of you, you and your monsters will be extinct!"

"Ooh, clever. You must'a been up all night working on that one."

"No, I came up with it in nothing flat - which is also how fast I'm going to beat you."

"Yeah? Let's find out, then." Everyone else in the foyer was now completely quiet as they watched their neighborhood tramp take up arms against a Dark Dragon official. After all, even though a few of the others had decks of their own, he was the only one among them who had a Duel Disc. Apparently, he had stolen it from an imperial soldier some years ago while escaping from the Empire. Still, he never thought he'd ever get a chance to use it in battle.

Both duelists had by now activated their discs and were raring to go. "Very well then, street vermin, I think I'll take the first draw." Bliman drew the first card, and the duel was officially underway.

* * *

"Ugh! How much longer, man? We need to get going soon!"

"Chill, creepy chick. I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Well, go faster! We're already behind schedule, thank you very much!" An agitated Jinx stood outside the door to the men's room at the Anker-Hill outpost, waiting for Patrick to finish up his business. "Geez, I bet even Mammoth doesn't take this long."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the sound of flushing, and a few moments later, Patrick emerged from the facilities. "You did wash your hands, right?"

"Yes, I did, _Mom_."

"Watch it, you. Now come on. We better find the others."

On their way to the foyer to regroup with the rest of their party, Patrick took notice of Jinx's Duel Disc. "Huh. So that's what a Duel Disc looks like, eh?"

"You've never seen one before?"

"I've seen pictures of them in ads and such, and I've seen people walking around with them, but I've never seen one this up close before."

"Really? Well, I just had mine fixed up, so it might look a bit different now."

"Wow. I wish I could get one of my own, but I can't afford one right now."

"Maybe if you asked nicely, Maryaka would get one for you."

"I guess." Patrick chuckled a bit.

"You guys about finished?" Maryaka asked as they entered the foyer. "I was about to go looking for you."

"Yeah, it certainly took long enough," Jinx griped. "Now let's get going."

"You guys leaving?" Eustace noticed. "Have a safe journey, then, and feel free to drop by anytime!"

Just after everyone was finished exchanging goodbyes with the Red Dragons, Mammoth took notice of something rather peculiar. "Hey, check it out, Prince. Someone left their cards on the floor!"

Maryaka took the deck into his hands and looked through it to try and see if he could figure out whose deck it was. After a few moments...it dawned on him.

"I don't believe it. These are Lee Headcutter's cards!"

"What?" Gizmo mused aloud. "That idiot went and left behind his cards? What a pit-sniffing moron!"

"Indeed so." Maryaka stored the deck within one of his coat pockets. "I'll hang on to the deck until we run into him again and see if he wants it back."

"Aw, come on, Prince! Can't we keep it for ourselves? It would definitely serve him right for all he's done! Besides, he's just gonna get executed anyway!"

"Perhaps so, and frankly, I think the Empire would be much better off without him, but still, it just wouldn't be right to steal it now. Let's wait until we bump into him again. If he doesn't take it back, then you can have it."

Gizmo began grumbling to himself in an almost inaudible tone. "Razzle-frazzle...Don't see why I can't have it now..."

"Come on, everyone. We've fallen behind enough as it is. Let's get a move on." And with that, the Red Dragons left the outpost town and started their trek to Maryah-Denn.

* * *

"Your Majesty, I-"

"I demand an explanation, Headcutter! How in the name of almighty Obelisk could you lose against such a piteous duelist?" roared the Emperor, his face beet-red after hearing of Lee Headcutter's defeat.

"Sir, I-"

"Yes, please regale me with all the glorious details as to how a street rat with the absolute lowest dueling rank could defeat the second runner-up in the Duelist Colosseum Successor Selection tournament. I'm all ears, Headcutter."

"If it's any consolation, your Majesty, I didn't use my actual deck against him. He just won by a fluke, you see."

"A fluke? You got your rear end handed to you by garbage because of a fluke!?"

"Um...yes?" Lee chuckled sheepishly.

"Grrr..." The Emperor took a few seconds to regain his composure before continuing. "Find your real deck. Keep it with you at all times, and always use it when engaging in battle. I don't want any more excuses, Headcutter. One more slip-up and you're dead meat. Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-yes, your Highness."

"Good. Now get out."

Lee trudged out of the throne room within Castle Sygh-Varths and began his return to his prison, terrified and angry at the same time. "You miserable little wretch," he began mumbling to himself. "As of now, the gloves are off. Next time, you won't be quite as lucky as you were last time. I will make you suffer horribly before ending your life. Count on it."

* * *

"I'll begin this match by summoning Ancient Gear Soldier!" Bliman's first monster was an old-fashioned, gear-driven soldier wielding a machine gun. "Also, I activate a Spell Card called Ancient Gear Drill! By discarding another card from my hand, this card lets me take another Spell Card out of my Deck and place it facedown on the field. That about does it for now."

Dino-Dude scoffed. "Not very impressive so far, man." He drew his card. "Check out this monster! Gilasaurus can be Special Summoned right out of my hand!" As if from nowhere, a velociraptor-like monster zipped onto the field, snarling and flashing its claws. "Now here's where it gets interesting! I activate Big Evolution Pill by sacrificing Gilasaurus! Dig this effect: for the next three turns, I can summon high-level Dinosaur cards without the need for Tributes!"

Bliman raised an eyebrow. _So, this fruit knows how to play well after all. Not like it's really gonna matter, though._

"I summon Sword Arm of Dragon to the field and use him to destroy your scrap pile! Attack with Sword Tail Slash!" At Dino-Dude's command, the stegosaur-like monster reared its long, bladed tail and threw it at Bliman's soldier like a whip, successfully cleaving the iron monster into two. One of the gears that afforded mobility to the once-standing soldier became dislodged and struck Bliman in the face, causing a small bit of damage to his life points as a result. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Hmph. Tell me that's not all you can do, my rogue companion," Bliman taunted.

"Trust me, man, I've barely gotten started," Dino-Dude replied. "Your crummy monsters will be a delicious mid-morning snack for my dino brethren!"

"Of course they will." Bliman drew one card. "Time to show you blokes how a real duelist fights! I trigger my facedown Spell Card, Magnet Circle LV2! This lets me Special Summon a Level Two or below machine monster from my hand, like my Ancient Gear!"

Dino-Dude snickered as Bliman's newest monster arrived on the field. "That's your big play? Wow. This is gonna be way easier than I thought."

"Don't be so sure. I activate Machine Duplication, which allows me to summon two more Ancient Gears from my Deck!"

"Great. Three useless gears. That's frightening."

"They're not, but this one is! I offer one Ancient Gear to summon Ancient Gear Beast!" Bliman's new monster, which seemed to resemble a dog made of iron, let out a loud howl as it emerged onto the playing field.

"Okay, that one's...moderately fearsome."

"The hell it is! Devour his dinosaur with Mechanized Chomp!" In a flash, the iron canine sped toward the helpless herbivore that stood before it and sank its titanium teeth into its neck. While struggling to get free, the doomed dinosaur's tail whiplashed Dino-Dude across the chest. It wasn't a deep scratch, nor was it a real one, but Dino-Dude was not happy nonetheless.

"Dude! Nobody bullies my dino-brothers like that and lives to tell about it! You're goin' down, man!"

Bliman scoffed. "Really? Let's see you back up those cavalier claims, then."

"Fine!" Dino-Dude drew his card. "I place a Defense monster and end my turn."

"Feh. So much for defending your brethren." Bliman drew his card. "Ancient Gear Beast, destroy his monster with Mechanized Chomp!" The mechanical canine dashed toward the monster card and bit into it, like before...

Except this time, it didn't destroy it. The triceratops monster successfully shrugged off its assailant.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Dino-Dude exclaimed. "Megazowler's Defense power is the same as your monster's Attack power!"

"Hmph. Lucky runt."

Dino-Dude drew his next card. "Alright, time to lay the smackdown on you! I activate Foolish Burial, a Spell Card that lets me take a monster in my Deck and send it off to the Graveyard. Today's lucky contestant is..." He took a few moments to search for a monster to discard. "...Black Tyranno!" He placed the monster card into his Graveyard while Bliman watched with a raised eyebrow, curious as to what was coming next.

"Next, I activate Monster Reincarnation! By discarding a card from my hand, I can take Black Tyranno from my Graveyard and put him into my hand! Now here's where it gets good; since my Big Evolution Pill is still active, I can summon him to the field right now! Hope you're ready for this!"

Bliman stared up in slight astonishment as the black-skinned tyrannosaur monster appeared on the field, towering over everything else in sight. The audience was mesmerized as well, and a few members even gave small cheers, which were silenced when Bliman glared at them.

"Let's go, Tyranno! Devour his Ancient Gear Beast with Cretaceous Crunch!" As Dino-Dude finished his command, the towering tyrannosaur charged towards its victim and scooped up the whole thing into its maw in one bite. As it crunched its foe in its mouth, it spat out a gear right into Bliman's face, causing small damage and earning a disgusted look from Bliman.

"Follow up, Megazowler! Destroy an Ancient Gear with Jurassic Charge!" The triceratops monster reared up at the command and raced toward one of Bliman's two gears, sending it flying at great velocity upon impact. "How did you like that, man? Trust me, my dinos haven't even begun to fight yet!"

Bliman simply snorted as he drew his next card. "I place a monster in Defense mode, then place one card facedown."

Dino-Dude groaned, then relaxed once he drew his next card. "I summon Two-Headed King Rex, which'll scrap the last of your worthless gears with Dino Air Strike! Then Megazowler attacks your facedown card with Jurassic Charge! After that, my Black Tyranno will hit you directly with Cretaceous Crunch!"

As per its orders, the winged, two-headed dragon-like monster flew into the air for a brief moment, then plummeted down on the gear monster with incredible force, smashing the gear into several flat pieces. Promptly afterwards, its triceratops companion charged toward Bliman's facedown monster - a second Ancient Gear Soldier, which didn't stand much more of a chance than the Ancient Gear. Once Bliman's defense was successfully brought down, the tyrannosaur went in and enclosed its gigantic - and, fortunately for Bliman, holographic - jaws around Bliman, causing serious damage to his life points.

"Well, how do you like that? My Tyranno got to your life points even without his ability! Tough break, dude!"

"We'll see who gets a tough break when this match reaches a conclusion! En garde!" Bliman gave a sinister chuckle as he drew his next card. "Up until now, I've been stringing you along, gauging your strengths and whatnot. That comes to an end right here, right now!"

"You don't scare me, man! Let's see what you got!"

"Fine, then. Have it your way." Bliman motioned to his facedown card. "I activate Ancient Gear Factory! This Spell allows me to summon a high-level Ancient Gear monster without the need for Tributes, if I remove from play a number of Ancient Gear cards in my Graveyard whose total Levels add up to twice the Level of the monster I'm about to summon." He went into his Graveyard pile and withdrew three cards. "I have here two Ancient Gear Beasts and one Ancient Gear Soldier. Two Level Six cards plus a Level Four equals sixteen Levels. That means I'm about to summon a Level Eight monster!"

Dino-Dude gulped. "This can't be good."

"Here he is - my star monster!" Bliman's new monster was a colossal behemoth that appeared to be even taller than the Black Tyranno its opponent had in play. It was distinguished by an iron helmet on its head as well as giant gears sticking out, among other places, through its left shoulder. It waved the fist on its right hand as it showed up, while the iron claws on its left hand flexed themselves. "Behold the instrument of your downfall - Ancient Gear Golem!"

"Wow. That's...that's really something, man."

"I know. This card is extremely rare and very difficult to come by. According to legend, somebody somewhere in the Empire found another copy of this monster recently. Upon finding it, I will be well near invincible."

"Whoopee."

"Anyway, I think we may have gotten a tad off track there for a moment. Ancient Gear Golem, attack Megazowler with Mechanized Melee!" The mechanical giant reared up, its single eye glowing bright red and its gears spinning wildly, and threw its iron fist into the helpless herbivore, which flew back into Dino-Dude, causing moderate damage. "Looks like the tables have turned, eh what?"

"Yeah, for now." Dino-Dude drew his card. "Ugh...I put all my monsters in Defense mode and end my turn."

"A desperate attempt to protect yourself." Bliman drew his card. "I summon the third of my Ancient Gear Soldiers. Then, my Gear Golem will attack your Black Tyranno with Mechanized Melee!" The massive monster braced itself for attack just as it did before, but this time, instead of its fist, it went after its target with its claws, carving the T-rex's distant cousin into ribbons...and slashing at Dino-Dude, causing damage to him as well.

"Dude! What happened to my life points?" a baffled Dino-Dude questioned.

"Didn't you know?" Bliman smugly responded. "My Ancient Gear Golem is able to cause piercing battle damage!"

"Aw, that's bogus!"

"And now my Ancient Gear Soldier attacks your King Rex with Mechanized Blitzfire!" The Gear Soldier prepared itself in a manner similar to its colossal cohort's, then fired several rapid shots from its machine gun at the two-headed dinosaur, just barely killing it. "This is it, my delinquent friend. You're as good as extinct if you don't pull a miracle draw now."

Nervously, Dino-Dude drew his next card, hoping against all hope for something that could stave off the tower of power that stood before him. "I activate Graceful Charity - I draw three cards, then I gotta ditch two."

Looking at the three seemingly useless cards he drew, Dino-Dude started to despair...then suddenly, he remembered the facedown card he placed during his first turn - and smiled. "Alright, it's time to decide the winner! I summon Tyranno Infinity!" His new monster entered the field via a time warp of sorts, primed for battle.

The problem was...it had no attack power.

"How do you expect to win with that?" Bliman taunted. "With no dinosaurs removed from play, it has zero attack power!"

"Not yet," Dino-Dude said, his confidence rejuvenated. "But look at my facedown card!" The facedown card opened to reveal a Trap Card. "It's called Survival Instinct, and it lets me gain four hundred life points for each dinosaur card in my Graveyard that I decide to remove from play."

Bliman's eyes widened. "I do not like where this is going."

"There are seven dinosaurs in my Graveyard: Gilasaurus, which I sacrificed to activate Big Evolution Pill; the four dinosaurs you destroyed in battle; and the two I discarded with Graceful Charity just now. By removing them all from play, not only do I get twenty-eight hundred life points, but my Tyranno Infinity goes up to seven thousand attack points! How's THAT for a tough break, huh?"

"Hang on!" Bliman was beginning to panic. "This must be a mistake! I can't lose to you! Tell you what - if I allow you a chance to join the ranks of the Empire, would you agree to saying this duel never happened?"

"Not happening, man. Your butt's a bulls-eye, and my foot's a razor-sharp arrow!"

"Let's not be hasty. We can talk this out like civilized gents, right?"

"You wanna be civilized with me!?" Dino-Dude's confidence was beginning to morph into anger. "Okay, then! Eight years ago, you imperial dogs killed my father, the greatest pioneer of his time! And why? Because he wanted to fulfill his dream of making this area livable for people! I would sooner let my dino-brethren bite my head off than join with the likes of you!"

"I-I see..."

"Let's finish this thing! Tyranno Infinity, attack his Gear Soldier and wipe out his life points with Temporal Distortion!" This tyrannosaur monster, smaller and yet stronger than the last one, uttered a loud roar. At first, nothing seemed to be happening...until suddenly, Bliman heard a loud grinding noise. He looked at the Ancient Gear Soldier and was shocked to find that it had completely rusted over and its gears had ceased turning. The time-twisting T-rex gave another roar, at which the immobile iron soldier exploded, causing immense damage to Bliman - enough to completely deplete his life points.

The audience erupted in a cheering frenzy at what they had just seen. Dino-Dude, the local vagabond of their little group, had succeeded in driving out a powerful and fearsome imperial official. Bliman could no longer stay and terrorize the pioneers for his own amusement; he was bound by imperial bylaws to uphold his duty as the loser of the duel. That meant he had to go running back to where he came from.

Needless to say, he was pretty unhappy about it. As he turned to leave, he spoke to the pioneers through clenched teeth: "You lot have not seen the last of me. I will return someday, and when that day comes, I will make you rue the day you chose to side against me and the Empire. Good day to you filthy mice."

"Yeah, good riddance," Dino-Dude muttered as Bliman slammed the door shut behind him.

"Wow, Dino-Dude," a raven-haired teenage girl said to him, "that was pretty awesome."

"Awesome enough to finally get that date with you?"

"No, not really."

"Oh, come on already!" Both Dino-Dude and the girl started to laugh, and gradually, the rest of the pioneers joined in. Soon enough, the whole foyer was resounding with hearty laughter - a perfect aftermath for a well-fought victory.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Battle of the Beasts

By the time Bliman had finished explaining what had happened at Rhuninn-Grahd to the other Dark Dragons, the fire-haired scientist had erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Wahahahahaaa! You loser! That was pathetic! Wahaaa!"

"It's not that funny, you idiot bloke!"

"Quite right, Bliman," a pale-skinned, black-haired woman in an eerie black cape spoke up. "You're just lucky that Master Lee isn't here to listen to this, or else you'd be in deep crap right about now."

"Thank you for the friendly reminder, Vera. I'm not entirely sure how to break this indignant information to him."

"May as well get your coffin ready right now, dude! Wahahaa!"

"Shut up, Pyro-Tech. I don't need your incessant rambling to make me feel any worse than I already-"

At that moment, the door to the Dark Dragon meeting room swung open without warning. A frazzled Lee Headcutter stormed in, approached Bliman, grabbed him by the collar of his green armor and held him to the nearest wall. "So Bliman, what's this I hear about you making a mission for yourself? You know damn well that's against imperial protocol!"

"I-I can explain, Master Lee. Uh..."

"Don't forget the part where you lost a match against some random loser!"

"Shut up, Pyro-Tech!"

"Is that right? That was extremely stupid of you, second lieutenant!"

"S-Second?"

"That's right. As of now, you are hereby demoted from first to second lieutenant! Think about that next time you decide to go AWOL on us!"

"Ooh, you got fried, man! Waha..." Pyro-Tech stopped laughing when Lee glared at him.

"I am in a very foul mood right now, so don't any of you say or do anything for the rest of the day that would make me even worse! Especially you, Bliman! Do you get me?"

"Y-Yes, governor."

Lee sharply inhaled, then exhaled in an attempt to cool off. "Very well. Just make sure it never happens again. One more screw-up and you're dead." He then went to make his exit. "Nobody bother me for a while. I'm gonna be busy with a private matter."

Vera spoke up as soon as he left. "Someone seems a little on edge today."

"What did you expect?" said a young adult with short brown hair, square-framed glasses and a blue suit-and-tie getup. "He did just blow it against Gizmo. If I were him, I'd be quite upset about that, too."

"True."

"Dude," said a teenage boy with red hair and a green shirt with a black dragon design, torn shoulders and a torn midriff. "When are we getting the free snacks?"

"We're not getting free snacks, Drake," the man in the blue suit told him.

"That bites. I only came to this stupid meeting for the grindage."

"Stupid kid," Vera muttered under her breath.

* * *

The Red Dragons left the outpost town sometime around noon after stocking up on supplies and recharging their batteries. It didn't take long for Maryaka to realize that, without their land cruiser, they would never be able to make it to Maryah-Denn by the end of the day. Somewhere along the line, they'd have to settle in for the night and continue their trek in the morning. In the meantime, the imperial guards that were guarding the cruiser (and were rendered unconscious at the time of the theft by sleeping gas, courtesy of Lee) were sent back to defend Castle Nonnber from enemy attack while Maryaka, Gizmo, Mammoth, Jinx, Dimitri, Patrick and Sara made their way to Castle Maryah-Denn.

"So, where are we settling in for the night?" Jinx asked Maryaka a few minutes after leaving Anker-Hill.

"We've got two options," Maryaka replied as he took a fold-up map of Rondeval from one of his coat pockets. "After about three hours or so, we should come across the Twin-Rivers outpost town." He pointed to a location at the northwestern part of the Anker-Hill region. "If it's still light enough to continue by the time we're finished resting up there, we could settle in at Rhuninn-Grahd, the headquarters for the pioneers who once tried to cultivate the Gyuron Wastelands. I have a few friends there who'll help us out."

"What about here?" Patrick pointed to an area across the river to the east of the Twin-Rivers outpost, labeled Shadow-Forest. "Couldn't we set up there?"

"That's the imperial post office, Patrick. They're not gonna want to look after us for the night."

"Or what about any of these places at Gyuron, like here?"

"No way. Most of the forts here are nests for crooks and criminals. The pioneers are lucky enough to have driven them away from Rhuninn-Grahd. How exactly, I'm not sure, but that's the only place in Gyuron that's even remotely safe to sleep."

"Whoa. That's pretty heavy stuff, man."

"Got any more stupid questions?" Jinx asked Patrick.

"Excuse me! I've never been to Gyuron before, so get off my back!"

"Guys, stop!" Maryaka intervened. "This trip's gonna be a lot longer if you don't concentrate on where we're going."

"She started it."

Jinx growled softly, but then decided to drop the subject.

"Is this what it's like being in one of the Imperial Three?" Dimitri asked Mammoth.

"Eh, sometimes. Usually, most of the disputes involve Gizmo getting on someone's nerves. Maryaka doesn't anger easily, but I wonder how he puts up with crap like this."

"Must be tough," Sara joined in. "Patrick's enough of a handful for Dimitri and me. I'd hate to put up with too many others like him."

Patrick turned around. "You guys talkin' smack behind my back?"

"No," Mammoth, Dimitri and Sara replied in unison.

* * *

After a few hours or so, the Red Dragons finally made it to Twin-Rivers without completely losing it. Once there, the weary duelists decided to stay for a while and rest; they seldom ever had to walk such a distance, and they hated the few times they had to. A few of them decided to eat lunch there, including Mammoth and Patrick, who ended up in an eating contest to see which of their bottomless stomachs could contain more food. Mammoth ended up winning after six rounds, after which Dimitri gave five silver pieces to Gizmo. Maryaka inquired about his missing land cruiser, but no one had seen it recently enough to be of any help. Sara asked Jinx what it was like to be a duelist in the Empire's employ, and Jinx told her that besides having to be at the ready twenty-four/seven and being regarded by the Emperor as little more than expendable tools, it was all right.

The group decided to continue on to Rhuninn-Grahd at about three-forty-five that afternoon, with Maryaka estimating a five-hour walk from Twin-Rivers to there. Despite slight grumbling from a few of the others, Maryaka insisted on going there, saying that they will get to Maryah-Denn that much quicker in the morning. Eventually, everyone agreed, though some of them still complained about sore legs, etc. before starting and during the walk.

* * *

Roughly five hours later, after going around the small mountain region at western Gyuron and fighting off three thieves as well as a couple of Trakadons, the Red Dragons arrived at Rhuninn-Grahd with everyone still in one piece. By the time they reached the front door to the building, everyone was exhausted - Mammoth from wrestling the dinosaurs, Patrick from beating the robbers senseless, everyone else from the long hike. As Maryaka proceeded to open the door, he attracted the attention of several of the pioneers, some of whom waved hello to him and the others. Considering how late it was by this point, the place was fairly empty, save for a couple of tables' worth of people. Most of the group immediately started looking for places to sit down and relax, while Maryaka took a spot at the bar.

Upon spotting him, the bartender was pleasantly surprised. "Well, if it isn't the Shinset kid! Haven't seen you around here in awhile. How've you been lately?"

"Eh, I've been worse."

"I'll say. Word around these parts is that you're losing favor in the Empire. What's going on?"

"Nothing much, just the usual 'too soft for your own good' crap. He'll be over it before you know it."

"I see. So anyway, what brings you here?"

"My companions and I need a place to stay for tonight, so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind looking after us."

"Of course not, but if I may ask, why?"

"I'm on my way to Maryah-Denn to say hi to a friend of mine, but someone stole my land cruiser along the way, so we're all stuck walking the length of the way there."

"Ouch. That's a bad turn. Well, in any case, as long as you got the money, we'll be happy to look after the lot of you until morning."

"Thanks, Mike."

"Hold on, man!" a voice called out. Maryaka turned around and saw a strange man in a worn green leather jacket wearing pointed sunglasses and sporting a green mohawk. "Since when are we playing hotel maid to this imperial scum?"

Maryaka raised an eyebrow. "Who's this guy?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met him yet." Mike motioned to the strange man. "This is Dino-Dude. He showed up around here about a month ago, claiming to be some kind of big-shot. We didn't really believe his claims until earlier today, when he drove Bliman out of our humble abode."

Maryaka's interest was now piqued. "Bliman? What was he doing here?"

"We don't really know," Mike told him. "All I know is that a few hours ago, Bliman just up and barged in without notice and made himself right at home. Amazingly, Dino-Dude here actually beat him in a duel and forced him out of our hair."

Maryaka whistled. "That must have taken some effort."

"Look, man," Dino-Dude rudely interrupted, "I don't need you trying to make yourself look like the good guy here! One way or another, you're out of here!"

"Dino-Dude, please," Mike said to him sharply before turning back to Maryaka. "I'm sorry. Dino-Dude's got a few issues with the Empire, considering they took his father eight years ago."

"Oh..." Maryaka suddenly became sullen and quiet.

"Hey! You still in there, man? 'Cause I'm still booting you out of-"

"Be quiet!" Maryaka spun around and glared into Dino-Dude's eyes right through his sunglasses. "You may not realize this, but you're not the only one who knows what it's like losing a father to the Empire!"

Dino-Dude was taken aback. "Whoa...You mean you also..."

Maryaka turned away. "Yes...and I was only three when it happened, so I barely even know him at all."

"Oh, man. Geez...but wait - if the Empire took your father's life, why are you even _in_ the Empire?"

"I have my own reasons for that."

Dino-Dude was puzzled a bit at first, but quickly shrugged it off. "So I got fired up to duel you for nothing? That bites, man." He then turned his attention to the other Red Dragons. "Huh. Maybe I can burn off some boredom with them instead."

As Dino-Dude strode off in Mammoth's direction, Mike, who had been elsewhere for the past few seconds, returned to the counter with something in his hand. "I only have three available rooms tonight, Maryaka - one-o-three to one-o-five. You're gonna have to split up your group into three in order to stay here tonight." He handed Maryaka the three copper keys with their respective room numbers inscribed on them. "Hope you and your pals enjoy your stay here tonight, and I'll see ya in the morning!"

"Right. We will," Maryaka said as Mike prepared the bar for the night shift. In the meantime, he looked over and examined his group, trying to determine which ones would get which room. Once he came to a decision, he got up and walked over to his followers to share the news with them.

Before he got halfway there, however, the entrance door slammed open, startling everyone in the foyer. A hulking brute of a man with long red hair, tiger stripes on his arms, and a scar over his right eye stepped forth into the building, surveying his surroundings with bared teeth and a dangerous glint in his eyes. Aside from Mammoth, he was larger than everyone else in the vicinity, causing most of the pioneers to cower and hide under their tables. Only Dino-Dude, Maryaka and the Red Dragons seemed unafraid to stand before him.

After a tense moment of absolute silence, the man pointed a finger at Mammoth. "You! I've been looking high and low for you for years! You remember me, right?"

Mammoth looked over the guy for a couple of seconds before recognizing him. "Oh yeah, I vaguely remember you. You were one of my opponents in the first Duelist Colosseum championship I took part in. Your name was...uh...Tiger!"

The man snarled viciously. "Damn straight! I don't know how, but somehow you beat me in the quarterfinal match! I was supposed to win the Colosseum championship, not you!"

"That was a long time ago, pal. Who cares that you weren't the first champion?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Tiger's anger was starting to integrate with sadness at this point. "I didn't care about being the champion. I just needed the prize money to pay off a ransom!"

"Ransom?" Mammoth was intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"The Empire was looking for someone to play in the contest for them. Eventually, they found me and insisted that I duel in their name during the championship. When I refused, they kidnapped my younger sister, Violet, and used her to force me to give in to their demands." Tiger's face was a dark crimson by now, from both sadness and rage.

Maryaka sighed. Yet another example of the Empire destroying someone else's life. "What happened to Violet?"

"I-I don't know," Tiger spoke through sobs. "After the contest, they just sort of vanished. Now my sister's Ra-knows-where, and I'll probably never see her again." He pointed at Mammoth once more. "And it's all your fault! And now you must pay for stealing my only chance of protecting Violet!"

"Whoa, whoa there!" Mammoth held out his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry about your sister, and I know the Empire can be a hellish collection of jerks, but why do I gotta pay for it? I didn't-"

"Spare me the excuses!" By now, Tiger had already activated his Duel Disk and was raring to fight. "I've waited five years for this chance, and I'm not punking out now! Get ready for the beatdown of your life!"

"All right, if you insist." Mammoth grabbed his Duel Disk and activated it. "I never turn down a match, but I still don't think I'm the right person for you to turn your anger toward."

"I disagree - you ruined my chance to protect my sister, _and_ you're working for the Empire! It makes you the perfect target!"

"Fine. I'll even let you start." The duel was now officially begun.

Tiger drew his first card. "Alright, let's get it on! I activate my Field Spell, Colosseum - Cage of the Gladiator Beasts! You remember this card, right?"

Mammoth nodded in affirmation as the field around them changed to resemble an old, somewhat rundown colosseum strewn with strange blue-green lines. "Still using those Gladiator Beast cards, I see."

"You better believe it. These cards are my pride and joy, and somehow, they're gonna help me get my sister back to me. But for now, I'll simply put this one in Defense and put this down as well."

Mammoth drew his card, then thought about how best to deal with his opponent's monsters. _If I recall correctly, the Gladiator Beasts can tag in others from the Deck after each Battle Phase in which they do battle. If I destroy them first, however..._

"I summon Vorse Raider!" A vicious horned beast-warrior wielding a large double-edged axe came forth with a wicked grin on its face. "Also, I equip him with the Axe of Despair, raising his ATK by one thousand!" As Mammoth placed his card in the slot, his monster sheathed its former weapon and achieved a new one - a wooden axe with a larger blade and an evil glow that seemed to instigate its wielder's bloodlust. "Now go and attack his Defense card!"

The monster took this opportunity to show off its newfound strength without a second thought and stormed toward the facedown monster with murderous intent. Just before getting close enough to discover its prey's identity, however, a sudden gust of wind blew its new weapon far out of its reach.

Tiger grinned smugly. "As you can see, I've triggered Dust Tornado, which has destroyed your monster's axe and brought it back to its former strength. Not bad, eh?"

"We'll see about that after Vorse Raider continues its attack!" The wicked creature resumed its attack against the defending monster, which revealed itself to be a blue rhinocerous with armor made of rock. The attack connected...but the rhino did not fall.

"Ergh!" Mammoth growled as his life points dropped by a small amount. _Great. Not only was Vorse Raider weaker than that thing, but now it's gonna tag in someone else! _"Alright, let's have it. Bring out your new beast."

"Gladly." Tiger recalled Gladiator Beast Hoplomus to the Deck, then looked through to find a suitable replacement. "I tag out Hoplomus to tag in the Gladiator Beast Spartacus!" The axe-wielding dinosaur gave a ferocious shriek as it entered the battlefield. "When Spartacus is tagged in, I can take a Gladiator Beast-exclusive Equip Spell from my Deck and put it in my hand." He eventually settled on Gladiator Beast's Battle Halberd.

That wasn't the only thing that happened, though. Mammoth noticed the blue lines of the Gladiator Beast colosseum began to glow slightly more intensely than before. "Oh yeah, your field card powers up Gladiator Beasts more and more whenever one of them gets tagged in."

"You do remember. I guess you're not a total sell-out after all. The colosseum gives one-hundred more points to my Gladiator Beasts every time a new monster comes into play from the Deck. Now finish up your turn so my new beast can take you apart."

"Fine. I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Right, then. Let's get started." Tiger drew his card, then raised an eyebrow. "Check this out! I'm not the same punching bag I was in the past, and I'm gonna prove it! First, I summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari!" An armored green bird monster with red hair protruding from behind its helmet took to the field. "Now watch this! I'm about to pull off a procedure to summon a Gladiator Beast Fusion monster! To do so, I gotta tag out a couple of monsters, so Bestiari and Spartacus are going back to the Deck." As Tiger's two monsters left the field, they moved to come into contact with each other. This served to pool their energy, which manifested itself as a new monster - a huge dinosaur-like monster with light brown skin, blue armor covering its lower half and spiked gauntlets holding a large golden-rimmed black axe. "Meet Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!"

Mammoth was intrigued. "Well, that's new."

"I know," Tiger responded, a smug smile on his face. "And as if he wasn't tough enough, I'm equipping him with the Gladiator Beast's Battle Halberd that his bud Spartacus fished out." The golden-and-black axe in the large creature's right hand was now accompanied by a silver-headed halberd in his left. "With this weapon in tow, Gaiodiaz can squash one Spell or Trap card each time he attacks! Killer, huh?"

"Not bad," Mammoth remarked, trying to seem indifferent.

"Not bad, my foot! Gaiodiaz, rip his Vorse Raider to pieces!" The armored dinosaur lept toward its target with great speed, despite its size, and with a single horizontal swing of its axe, carved the enemy monster to ribbons and struck Mammoth as well, causing damage - more than he would've suspected. "Bet you didn't see this coming! When Gaiodiaz takes down a monster in battle, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's Defense power!" Soon afterward, the monster brought down its second weapon, vertically striking Mammoth's facedown card - a Beast Soul Swap Trap card.

"And there goes the neighborhood! My Fusion monster will take its leave now, but not to worry, he'll leave you a little something - two Gladiator Beasts to take his place: Gladiator Beast Laquari and Gladiator Beast Dimacari!" As Gaiodiaz left the field and returned to the Fusion Deck, two new beasts - a furious tiger with long red hair surrounded by a ring of fire and a blue armored minotaur - arrived on the field. "And because some more Gladiators have joined the party, my Colosseum gets more power to add to my Gladiator Beasts!" As he spoke, the colosseum's energy lines did begin to glow brighter than they did a few moments ago. "And speaking of power, Laquari's original Attack power becomes twenty-one hundred whenever he's tagged in! You have no hope of overpowering me now! Vengeance will be mine!"

Maryaka shook his head out of pity. _This guy's good, I'll admit, but he's never going to win if he doesn't get ahold of himself. Rage never wins duels._

"I'll end my turn with a facedown card. Oh yeah, this is just a heads-up, but when Gaiodiaz was sent back to the Fusion Deck, I was able to retrieve my Battle Halberd from the Graveyard. Alright, your turn."

"It's about time," Mammoth muttered to himself as he drew his card. "I activate Heavy Storm; all Spell and Trap cards on the field are destroyed!" The raging gale conjured by Mammoth's card spun rapidly around the field, carrying off two of Tiger's cards.

Before that happened, however, the facedown card opened up to reveal a Trap card called Waboku. "Better safe than sorry, eh? With this card in effect, all Battle Damage to me and my monsters becomes zip."

"Fine." Mammoth proceeded to make his next move, then stopped when he noticed something peculiar. "Hey...why is your Colosseum Field card still in effect?"

"You noticed that, huh? All I had to do was toss another Colosseum from my hand, and the one on the field stays, as does the extra power it provides to my Gladiators."

"Hm. Nice. For now, I'll just set two down cards, then bring forth Panther Warrior." A purple panther with a green cape wielding a large cutlass strode in front of its master. Tiger didn't seem too threatened by the new monster as he drew his card, however.

"Take a look at this! I activate Terraforming, a Spell that allows me to draw a Field Spell from anywhere in my Deck! Can you guess which one I'm going for?"

"Like I have to. You're going to draw your last Colosseum - Cage of the Gladiator Beasts, right?"

"You better believe it!" Tiger dangled his new Field Spell in front of his face tauntingly. "By the way, if you thought Gaiodiaz was bad news, just wait until my next fusion tag-in! I summon Gladiator Beast Secutor, then tag out all three of my beasts to bring out my most powerful monster!" Tiger's three monsters - Laquari, Dimacari, and the green reptilian beast with blue armor, Secutor - all left the field while pooling their powers like last time. Soon enough, a new monster - one that resembled a humanoid tiger with long red hair, with a honeycomb-like shield in his left hand and a battle axe in his right that resembled Gaiodiaz's, except smaller - was born from their cumulative energies. "Behold the most powerful of the Gladiator Beasts - Gladiator Beast Heraklinos! If you don't believe my claims, just watch as it tears apart your Panther Warrior!"

The beastly humanoid raised its weapon, gave a loud battle cry, then charged straight at the feline warrior, only to be stopped dead in its tracks by one of Mammoth's facedown cards opening up. "I activate Kunai with Chain, which not only puts your monster in Defense mode, but also raises mine by five hundred Attack points!"

"That's what you think," Tiger boasted, "but Heraklinos has a special ability which'll destroy your Trap card and prevent its effect! In return, I gotta toss something from my hand first." Without a second thought, Tiger discarded his Battle Halberd Spell card. Heraklinos answered the call to action by raising its shield, preparing to protect itself from the incoming weapon.

Mammoth was prepared for such an event, however. "I activate my other Trap, Skill Drain! I pay one thousand life points to disable the abilities of all monsters on the field!"

Tiger growled, for he had a difficult choice to make. The only card he had left in his hand was his last Colosseum Field Spell. If he retriggered Heraklinos's effect, he'd have to discard it, which meant the existing Colosseum on the field wouldn't stand another hit. If that was destroyed, the potential strength increases for his Gladiator Beasts would be gone. On the other hand, if he allowed Skill Drain to activate, and if Mammoth powered up his Panther Warrior further enough, Heraklinos would be dead meat. Furthermore, since "Skill Drain" would also negate "Panther Warrior"'s effect, it could attack without Mammoth having to offer another monster as a Tribute, which could mean trouble for Tiger.

Reluctantly, Tiger discarded his third Colosseum, and as such, Heraklinos successfully staved off the Kunai with Chain and knocked it into the Skill Drain card, destroying them both. "That was a nice try, but Heraklinos is still gonna send your kitty cat to the big litter box in the sky! Heraklinos, strike him down!" The man-beast proceeded to slash the panther into ribbons, then gave a swipe to Mammoth as well. "Well, how about that? We both have no cards in our hands, but I'm the one with the monster on the field! Looks like I really am gonna win this one, eh, old pal?"

"Don't count me out just yet." Mammoth drew his card. "I activate Pot of Greed, which means I draw another two cards." He gave a smirk when he saw his new hand, which had just what he needed to get back ahead of his fearsome foe. "Now it's my turn to dominate! I summon Battle Ox!" The huge dark-brown minotaur in golden-lined red armor gave a swing of its silver axe as it appeared on the field. "And now I equip Megamorph to my Battle Ox! Since my life points are well below yours, my Equip card doubles my monster's Attack strength, which in this case comes to thirty-four hundred - just barely outmuscling yours by two hundred!"

Tiger stared up in shock as the bipedal bull increased in size to become twice as big as it was before. "Damn..."

"Battle Ox, attack! Carve that creature with Axe Crusher!" The monster firmly gripped its axe, then assailed its opponent, who raised its shield hoping to block the attack. The effort was futile, however, as the giant axe vertically cleaved the whole thing - monster and shield - in half. The defeated monster's axe flung backwards and softly scratched Tiger, giving him his first life points damage of the match. "What did I say? It's not over until one player loses all of his life points. Until then, you should never assume victory; you will most likely be disappointed." _That's a lesson I learned the hard way shortly after that colosseum challenge of which you spoke._

"Feh. I'll still beat you..." Tiger drew his card, then growled disappointedly. "...just not this turn."

Mammoth drew his next card. "For this turn, I'll simply have Battle Ox wage a direct attack! Axe Crusher!" The colossal minotaur swung its oversized axe at Tiger, causing tremendous damage, but not enough to reverse the Equip Spell's effect just yet.

"Damn!" Tiger drew his card - and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's not going to happen again! I activate Nightmare's Steelcage, which prevents us both from making attacks for two turns!" Iron bars sprung forth from the ground underneath Tiger's feet, bending to form an iron cage that was constructed to protect him from attack. "Let's go, big man!"

"I'm going," Mammoth grumbled as he drew his card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Not too much else you can do, eh?" Tiger drew his card. "I summon a Defense monster and end my turn."

"Fine. I'll end my turn, if only to bring down your cage." After Mammoth drew his card, the defensive cage surrounding Tiger began to vanish, which meant the towering bull monster was once again free to butcher his opponents at his master's command.

Tiger drew his card, looking somewhat satisfied. "I set one facedown card and finish my turn."

Mammoth was none too worried as he drew his next card. "To accompany my Battle Ox, I summon Enraged Battle Ox!" As one would expect, this monster looked exactly the same as its Normal monster counterpart, but this one seemed much angrier than the first. "With Enraged Battle Ox in play, all Beast, Beast-Warrior and Winged Beast monsters are able to cause piercing battle damage, so get ready to feel the pain! Battle Ox, attack the Defense card with Axe Crusher!"

As the bovine behemoth charged in for another assault, Tiger flipped up his facedown card. "I activate Sakuretsu Armor, which eliminates your overgrown ox before it can get at my-"

"I'm just gonna stop you there," Mammoth interrupted, "with my facedown card - Trap Jammer, which cancels the effect of your Trap card and destroys it." With Tiger's card short-circuited, the bull monster resumed its attack against the facedown monster, which revealed itself to be Gladiator Beast Hoplomus again, but this time, the armored rhino wasn't solid enough to withstand the attack and was carved to bits by the gigantic ox. "Huh. I've been meaning to get that thing back for what it did in that first turn. Now, for my next move, Enraged Battle Ox attacks directly with Infuriated Axe Crusher!" The Battle Ox lookalike gave a vicious snarl before it moved to drive its axe into Tiger, causing enough damage to bring him to less than a quarter of the life points he started with. "I end with one down card."

Tiger gave a growl of his own as he drew his next card, then took notice of something - the once-colossal Battle Ox had shrunk, and was now half the size of its angry twin. "Ha! This is my chance to regain the lead! I summon my own minotaur monster, Gladiator Beast Dimacari!" The blue armored minotaur flexed its arms as it stared at its twin opponents. "My Field Spell automatically makes him stronger than either of your creatures, but I'll raise its strength even more with the Gladiator Beast's Battle Gladius! And now, I think I'll attack the original Battle Ox and put an end to its reign of terror! Dimacari, attack with Battle Gladius Strike!" The man-bull gladiator took its new knife-sized sword and raced toward the mini-minotaur, but was stopped when a sudden gale of dark energy whisked away its weapon.

"Your attack has activated my Trap, Malevolent Catastrophe. Like Heavy Storm before it, this card destroys all Spell and Trap cards on the field - your Colosseum Field, your Battle Gladius, and my Megamorph. Now, our monsters are back to their original strength, which means..."

Mammoth didn't finish; Tiger seemed to already know what was going to happen. Without its power boosts, Dimacari wasn't strong enough to defeat Battle Ox, and as the rejuvenated beast-warrior struck down its foe, Tiger could already see that he had lost. Needless to say, he was mortified. His chance to take revenge for his sister's sake, which he had waited five years for, was a failed effort.

Mammoth curiously watched his opponent, who appeared to be staring off into space. "You still there, man?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Tiger placed his hand over his Duel Disc, which caused the holograms to disappear, then collapsed onto his knees. "That's it, then. I guess I just wasn't strong enough to avenge my sister."

"You know," Mammoth spoke up, "if you'd have told me about your sister five years ago, I could've just given you the prize money to pay for your sister's ransom."

"No, it wouldn't be enough. I also had to win, to get people thinking the Empire ruled the duels everywhere in Rondeval...but I just couldn't do it. Forgive me, Violet...I failed."

The pioneers and the Red Dragons watched as Mammoth approached the fallen duelist. "You haven't failed, Tiger. You've just been going about this the wrong way, is all. You'll find your sister, and we're gonna help. Right, guys?" Everyone watching made affirmative declarations in response. Mammoth then held out a hand to the sullen warrior. "Come on now, stand up. A duelist of your caliber shouldn't be brooding over one mistake."

Tiger looked up at the mighty once-foe, almost disbelieving that someone within the ranks of the evil Empire could be this forgiving or kindred, especially considering his ferocity in battle. After a few seconds, he grasped Mammoth's hand and got back onto his feet, which garnered hearty cheering from the pioneers. "I guess I should be apologizing for assaulting an imperial duelist and all that crap, eh?"

"Forget about it. Your heart was in the right place; your intentions just weren't."

"Don't think this means I won't face you in battle again, though. I'll get the better of you someday."

"Right." Mammoth laughed as he remembered how Slade had made a similar claim the day before.

In the meantime, Maryaka was pondering something. _I wonder...Could that person be..._ He then left to establish a private conversation with someone, but not before dropping off his keys to the others and explaining their sleeping arrangements. _Let's see if Bill can shed any light on this little matter._

* * *

Quietly, a sleek black land cruiser came to a stop near the Maryah-Denn forest, at a point between the province's post station Seirauna and Castle Maryah-Denn. Stepping out of the land cruiser with a slimy smirk on his face was Lee Headcutter, who straightened his green suit as he approached the castle of Alexis Hikari. _That fool Maryaka may think he's hot stuff right now, but let's see how he feels after his little girlfriend meets my little guillotine! _He gave a mischievous chuckle as he advanced along the side of the forest that covered the center of the region, trying to avoid being sighted as he crept toward the castle. _I just gotta keep her out of sight long enough so that-_

His train of thought was cut short when he saw a horde of soldiers surrounding the castle, frantically running around as if searching for something. He decided to approach one of them in order to settle his curiosity. "Pardon me, sir, but what is going on here?"

"Master Lee! Thank Ra you're here!" The soldier he addressed seemed to be in a panic. "Lady Alexis has gone missing!"

"Wha-Seriously?" Lee just barely managed to restrain the ugly smile that tried to surface upon his face. _Well, well, the good lady has done my work for me! Beautiful! Still, I got one more ace up my sleeve to seal Maryaka's fate. _"Might I speak to whoever's in charge here, then?"

"Very well, then. The only officer here at this time is Lady Mizumi. I'll run ahead and let her know-"

"That won't be necessary, my good man. You stay here and keep a lookout for young Alexis. I'll introduce myself to this Mizumi."

"Very good, sir." The soldier yielded to Lee, who made his way to the castle's throne room to meet with Mizumi. _This couldn't have gone any smoother if I had seen it coming myself! Alexis is gone, and this new brat, whoever she is, will soon come to loathe Maryaka as much as I! He'll be finished, and his position will be mine! Yahahahahahaaa!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Deception

"No. You're lying. He'd never do anything like that!"

"I'm afraid he would, unfortunately. In fact, he's on his way here now to do the deed, and he doesn't seem to feel guilty in the least about it. Wherever she may be hiding, I do hope she teaches that scum a lesson!"

Mizumi almost couldn't believe what Lee Headcutter had just disclosed to her about Maryaka's quest. According to him, Maryaka was on his way to Maryah-Denn not to protect Alexis, but to protect his standing by defeating her. Despite her difficulty to accept the revelation, she began to worry for the well-being of her commanding officer. "I just don't get it. Lady Alexis always spoke so highly about Prince Maryaka. Why would he do something like this?"

"Come now, don't be fooled into thinking what the rest of the Empire believes. Maryaka is actually much more cold-hearted than your commander thinks. He'd kill her himself and vandalize her gravesite if I let him."

Mizumi was speechless. She didn't even want to think about what she had just been told.

"Listen. You and I can stop that vile man together. All we have to do is find him and stop him before he finds Alexis. Well?"

"...Why are you so intent on stopping him? Did he do something to you?"

Lee gave a deep breath, then tried to sound like he was reliving a painful memory. "I...I'd much rather not talk about it. It's...too painful to recount right now."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

Lee faked a sniffle. "No worries, child, it wasn't your fault. Just know that I shall never forgive him for what he did on that day." He turned his back to Mizumi so she couldn't see the evil grin crossing his face. "So, will you help?"

Mizumi hesitated a moment, then reached a decision. "Alright, I'll do it. I'll go to the castle roof to keep a lookout for Prince Maryaka and make sure he never finds Lady Alexis, for her sake."

"A well-thought choice, child. That cur will get what's coming to him! Just you wait!" He followed Mizumi on the way to the roof level of Castle Maryah-Denn, all the while trying to contain his elation. _Ha ha! Yes! Even I can't believe how easy this was! This child now thinks of the great Imperial Prince as a monster and is now going to help me destroy him - and she thinks she's doing this for the sake of her leader! Beautiful!_ He pulled himself together as they walked onto the castle rooftop._ Be ready, Maryaka; your time has come!_

* * *

Everyone at Rhuninn-Grahd had by now retired to their rooms for the night. Tiger, Mammoth and Gizmo were staying in room one-o-three, Sara and Jinx in one-o-four, and Maryaka, Patrick and Dimitri in one-o-five. Dino-Dude chose to sleep outside as he always did for who knows what reason, and Mike had set up a cot in the lobby in case anyone needed any late-night service.

While everyone else was preparing for slumber, Maryaka was pacing across one of the hallways, musing over what Tiger had said almost a half hour ago, shortly after Mammoth had defeated him. "The Empire's gotta have my sister locked up somewhere on this continent, and I'll do whatever it takes to find her. I just wish I had a clue where to start looking." He hadn't spoken up about it then, but he had a good guess as to where she might be being held in confinement. Still, he would have to confirm this suspicion before letting Tiger know; he of all people knew how dangerous faulty information can be. To that end, he took out a pocket communicator to get into contact with an old acquaintance of his.

After a few minutes of conversation, Maryaka put away the communicator and went to get some shut-eye himself. He and his band would arrive at Maryah-Denn tomorrow, and sleep was a necessity if everything was to resolve in the manner he was hoping it would.

While Maryaka was busy with his business, Mammoth attempted to strike up a conversation of his own with Tiger as they lay in their respective beds, waiting to fall asleep. "How're you holding up, champ?"

"Eh, so-and-so," Tiger mumbled sleepily just before dozing off.

"Alright then..."

Gizmo scoffed. "Wow. That was riveting."

"He's obviously tuckered out. So what?"

"Yeah. I think he's still ticked about losing to you earlier."

"I'm not so sure about that," Mammoth said through a yawn as he lied down on his bed, soon to fall asleep himself.

"If you say so." Gizmo jumped onto his bed and yawned also. The three of them said nothing for the rest of the night.

* * *

When Maryaka entered his room, Patrick and Dimitri were finishing up a duel. Since neither of them possessed Duel Discs, there were no holographic images of monsters or cards, but it seemed to suit them just fine. Apparently, Patrick was winning by two-hundred life points, but Dimitri had two monsters in play - a Koumori Dragon and a Red-Eyes B. Dragon - and the Red-Eyes had just destroyed Patrick's last monster, a Giant Soldier of Stone, leaving his thirteen-hundred life points open for a direct shot.

"And now Koumori Dragon will administer the coup de grace," Dimitri spoke.

"Not so fast, man," Patrick said as he flipped his facedown card. "I'll use my Magical-Arm Shield, which takes over Red-Eyes and makes him take the brunt of your attack!"

"Not bad, but look at this!" Dimitri flipped one of his two facedown cards. "It's my Trap Jammer, and it cancels your card's effect, so you've still lost."

"Damn it!" Patrick then noticed that Maryaka had returned. "Whoa. When did you get back?"

"Just now. If you're about done with your match, I'd suggest getting some sleep. We leave at seven tomorrow morning."

"Seven? Um...Could we maybe go at, like, ten or so? I have trouble getting up that early."

"You did yesterday," Dimitri remarked.

"That was different. I fell asleep around nine the night before. It's usually way later than that."

"Well, Patrick, if you go to sleep now, you won't have to worry about that." Maryaka hung his coat on the bedpost, then climbed into his bed.

Patrick grumbled unintelligibly, then threw himself onto his bed. Dimitri shook his head in slight amusement as he went into his, and that was that for them.

* * *

"Oh, wow. That many?"

"Yeah. Most of them are jerks who think they're such hot stuff just because they're big shots back home." Jinx rolled her eyes as she recounted the number of people who applied for positions in the imperial government. "And most of them end up going home with their tails between their legs."

"Too bad," Sara murmured. "You think Patrick, Dimitri or I have a shot? If we ever wanted to, that is."

"Dunno. I'd have to see you in action first. Most of us in the Empire have worse cards than some of the other applicants, but utilize them more efficiently than they do. That's why we're top of the heap."

Sara nodded, thinking over the possibility that she or her friends could actually have a chance of making names for themselves in the Empire. "Awesome."

"Of course, there are times when a soldier or whoever gets too big for their britches, so to speak. When that happens, the person inevitably ends up getting put down. I myself have dealt with three such duelists, and all three of them wound up losing their heads. The moral of the story is: Know your place at all times. That applies to citizens as well."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sara affirmed just before yawning. "Good night, Jinx."

"Ditto," Jinx responded as she lied down. Neither said anything more for the night.

* * *

Even though everyone else chose the safety and comfort of the makeshift hotel, Dino-Dude opted to sleep near the mountains a few meters south of the Rhuninn-Grahd building. He never did say why; Mike had assumed it was to help keep watch for any night owls who would try to make a move against the pioneers.

"Yo...You wanna go out sometime, lady?" he muttered as he turned over in his sleep. "I ain't got much else to-"

Something brushed up by his foot, effectively snapping Dino-Dude out of his dream and making him jump onto his feet. Once there, he braced for the worst. "Who's out there? Don't bother hiding, man, 'cause I'll find you! Nobody can escape me, 'cause I'm-"

He looked down near his foot and saw the culprit - a small, brown furry monster with big blue eyes and little green hands and feet. As Dino-Dude stared at it, it started to bounce away into the distance. "Yeah, you better run! Nobody messes with me, 'cause I'm-"

"Will you shut up!?" Mike hollered from the Rhuninn-Grahd doorway.

"Jerk," Dino-Dude muttered as he turned to go back to sleep.

* * *

As the Droll Bird from Nonnber made its morning call, Dino-Dude groggily squirmed to a standing position. "Errgh...Should've probably gone and gotten those earplugs after all. Oh well." He then promptly fell back down and went back to sleep.

For everyone who slept inside, it was a different story. Mike struggled to wake up and prepare the stand for the early birds who would be arriving any time now. As for Tiger and the Red Dragons, they had somewhat more urgent matters to take care of, so they scrambled to get ready to leave.

"You're not coming with us?" Patrick asked as Tiger prepared to leave the building.

"I got my own schedule to keep," Tiger answered. "My sister's being held somewhere, and I gotta find her before it's too late."

"Do you even know where to start looking?" Jinx inquired.

"I wish I did," he muttered.

"Perhaps I can help." Maryaka took out his map of Rondeval and pointed to an area within the region labeled "Beastly Badlands". "I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, but there's a good chance your sister may be held around here."

"The Badlands, eh? I wouldn't be surprised if she was there."

"It's certainly worth a look. That is, if you're up to it."

"Of course! I don't fear the Badlands! I'll crush anyone - human, monster or otherwise - who stands in my way!"

"Yeah. Good luck with that."

"And good luck in your ventures. Next time we meet, I'll introduce you people to my sister."

"Can't wait!" Patrick said before Sara rapped him in the back of the head.

As Tiger exchanged goodbyes and left, the other Red Dragons stood up to leave as well. "Is everyone ready to go?" Maryaka asked, at which everyone nodded or mumbled affirmations. "Good. Then we leave immediately. We're set to arrive at Maryah-Denn within two hours." He then glanced over at Mike, who was all set up for the day. "Thanks for looking after us, Mike. We appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. And I hope you find your land cruiser soon."

"Likewise. See you some other time." And with that, the Red Dragons started on the final leg of their trek to Maryah-Denn.

* * *

From the roof of Castle Maryah-Denn, Mizumi gazed up at the blue, near-cloudless sky. In the distance, the sun was just starting to peek out from the treetops of the large forest in the center of the region. As she stared up into the sky, she thought about her missing commander, and of what Lee Headcutter had told her about Maryaka's quest the night before.

_There's no way...Lady Alexis wouldn't let herself be fooled into befriending someone like that. There's gotta be more to this story than Lee's letting on. _She sighed. _Wherever you are, milady, please come back. Everything's been turned upside-down ever since you disappeared._

"Here you are," a voice called out, derailing Mizumi's train of thought. "Keeping watch for that scum bucket, I take it?"

"Why are you still here?" Mizumi asked. "Don't you have a base of your own to stay at?"

"Come now, after our little chat last night, you think I'd just leave you to face Maryaka yourself?"

"Yeah. That's what a normal, not-creepy person would do."

Lee scoffed, but chose to ignore the insult. "So, any sign of him?"

"No, nor of Lady Alexis."

"Right. Well, don't worry. I'm sure he'll...they'll turn up sooner or later."

"I hope so." Mizumi turned back to the sunrise. _This guy seems more intent on stopping Prince Maryaka than helping Lady Alexis. I wonder...What did Prince Maryaka do to him exactly...?_

"Alright, let me know when you see him. I'll just be here, waiting." Lee set up a lounge chair he had "borrowed" from somewhere within the castle and lied down upon it, almost falling back asleep.

"Wait a moment..." Before Mizumi could ask her question, Lee was already snoring. "Never mind." She turned back to scan the region, hoping Alexis or Maryaka would turn up soon to straighten out the whole mess.

* * *

After about an hour of walking, the Red Dragons finally crossed the border into the region of Maryah-Denn, with the windmill at Seirauna just coming into their sights. "We're halfway to our destination, people. Please put your seats back in - Oh wait, I forgot. We don't have our cruiser anymore."

"Yeah, I noticed," Sara said sarcastically.

"This bites," Patrick complained. "I ain't never had to walk this far in a whole day." He then caught sight of something casting a glint in the forest. After squinting at it for a moment, he recognized it as a sleek black land cruiser. He elbowed Mammoth to get his attention, then pointed to it. "Dude, check out those wheels! Whose do you think they are?"

"Dunno, but it looks pretty expensive...Wait a second..." Mammoth took a close look at it, then ran up to Maryaka. "Hey, Prince, isn't that your cruiser?"

"What? Where?" Mammoth spun him in the direction of the object partly hidden in the woods. Upon spotting it, Maryaka withdrew the alarm for the Dark Lightning and pressed the button.

It responded by beeping and flashing its headlights.

"Yes, it is! That's the Dark Lightning!" Maryaka raced toward the vehicle, with the others following suit. He examined the vehicle for a short while, searching for any modifications or signs of damage. "Hm. Looks to be in decent shape still. Alright, everyone, get in. We're going to arrive at Castle Maryah-Denn in no time!"

The whole group managed to squeeze into the land cruiser with little effort; the cruiser was meant for much larger groups than theirs. Maryaka started it up, and within seconds, they had made it to the castle.

* * *

Mizumi was startled when the black cruiser stopped in front of the castle gates, seeming to come from almost nowhere. She watched as, one by one, the Red Dragon forces emerged from it. "He's here, Headcutter! Wake up!"

Lee sat up, half asleep, and walked to the edge of the roof. When his gaze met the vehicle he had stolen the day before, he immediately snapped awake. "That's...Well, let's not keep him waiting, eh, child?"

"Right..." Mizumi called for one of her guards and told him to escort their visitors to the rooftop.

Within several minutes, the guard returned with Maryaka, Gizmo, Mammoth, Jinx, Patrick, Dimitri and Sara close behind. "That's quite a motley crew you brought, Prince. I assume they're here to watch your match?"

"Match?" Maryaka was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me! You've heard that the Emperor wants to replace you with Lady Alexis, so you came here to kill her before that. Am I right?"

"You're mistaken. That's not...That's not why I'm here!"

"Oh?" Lee stepped forth. "Then why are you here, Princey?"

"What the - Is that Lee Headcutter?" Gizmo asked in astonishment.

"The one and the same," he answered. "Now as I said before, Princey, why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same, Headcutter. And stop calling me Princey; it's stupid."

Lee scoffed.

"He's the one who told me why you came here. He says you only care about defending your rank as Imperial Prince, that you would do anything to remain the Emperor's top dog - even kill Lady Alexis."

"Sounds more like Lee than the Prince," Gizmo muttered under his breath.

"Lee's been lying to you, Mizumi," Maryaka tried to convince her. "I do wish to remain the Imperial Prince, but I could never take it that far."

"Then why are you here? Answer me!"

Maryaka tried to answer, but instead said nothing. With Lee Headcutter standing right there, he couldn't reveal the real reason he had come to Maryah-Denn without compromising his life's mission. "I...I can't say right now. Just know that there's a good reason I must find her."

Mizumi shook her head. "I don't know if I can believe you."

"That's because you can't," Lee said, a confident smirk beginning to crawl upon his face. "He knows that he's here to kill Alexis, he just doesn't want you to think that he is."

"That's a lie!" Gizmo shouted. "You're nothing but a scrum-buffing liar!"

"Oh, I'm a liar? What about him? Why does he not wish to answer our question, huh, brat?"

"That's no concern of yours," Dimitri spoke up. "What do you care, anyway? This is none of your business."

"Isn't it? The safety of a fellow officer is none of my business?" Lee asked, feigning concern. "You're just as bad as he is."

"Enough, all of you!" Mizumi yelled, at which everyone stopped bickering. "Maryaka, even if I were to believe your claims, well, Lady Alexis isn't even here."

"She's not? Then where is she?" asked Maryaka.

"I have no idea. Even if I did, though, if you can't tell me why you're so eager to find her, I can't let you find her."

"Argh..."

"I didn't think so. I hate to say it, but you don't leave me any other choice." Mizumi beckoned for one of the guards to retrieve her Duel Disc from where it stood on the ground nearby. "I have to stop you, one way or another."

"Best of luck, kiddo," Lee muttered slyly.

"Think about what you're doing," Maryaka urged. "Dueling with me now isn't going to resolve anything; it'll only land you on the chopping block."

"We'll see about that! Get ready to Duel!" she declared as the guard brought forth her disc.

Maryaka gave an exasperated sigh as he reached for his disc. _Looks like I have no choice. If only to convince her to believe me, I'll have to do this thing. _"Fine, if you insist."

"He's going through with it?" Patrick asked. "He'd decimate her, and that wouldn't exactly help matters much."

"This is a White Dragon base," Mammoth mentioned. "Maryaka is a Red Dragon. When you're on someone else's turf, it's common courtesy to do as they ask. If Mizumi wants him to battle, he'll battle, no ifs, ands or buts about it."

"Still," Jinx muttered, "given the circumstances, this probably isn't such a good idea."

Mammoth nodded in affirmation. "I know..."

By now, Maryaka's disc was activated and he was all set to begin. "I won't ask you to help us find Alexis if you still don't trust us, but I must urge you to reconsider this course of action. There's no benefit in fighting when we have the same objective."

"What's the matter, Princey?" Lee smugly asked. "Getting cold feet already? I thought you were supposed to be a big-shot duelist!"

"You stay out of this, Headcutter!" Maryaka shouted. "This has nothing to do with you."

"It doesn't?" Mizumi was confused. "What about that thing you did to him before?"

"What thing?" Maryaka was now confused also, which made Mizumi suspicious.

Lee picked up on this and sweatdropped. "Uh, you know, that thing you did those couple of years back. Remember?"

"You don't mean when I defeated you at the Successor Selection tournament?"

"Uh...yeah, exactly! I still haven't forgiven you for that, you know!"

Mizumi was taken aback. "_That's _why you're after him? Wow. That's..." She deactivated her disc and shook her head in a disappointed fashion. "I thought he did something genuinely bad, like killed someone you knew or..." She turned toward Maryaka. "...vandalized their gravesite?"

"Nonsense," Maryaka said. "I have sent quite a few people to their deaths by order of the Emperor, but I take no pleasure in doing so. On that note..." He thought silently for a few seconds. "I don't think I had anyone related to Lee killed."

Lee nervously bit his lip as Mizumi stared daggers at him. "Just how much of your story was actually true, Headcutter? Or has the whole thing been a great big lie?"

"Well, see...uh..." Lee could barely piece together audible words at this point. He had been exposed as the liar he really was. He knew it, and he knew that they knew it. _Or did they...? _he thought as he pointed a finger at Maryaka. "Him! I haven't lied about him, have I? He still wants to destroy Lady Alexis!"

Mizumi lowered her glance to the floor, then brought it back to Maryaka. "Even if I chose not to believe him, I still don't think I can trust you, either. Unless you plan on telling me why you want to find Lady Alexis..."

"It's 'cause he wants to protect her!" Gizmo inadvertently shouted.

For a moment, all was silent.

Maryaka slapped his forehead in frustration. "Gizmo, you idiot..."

As if to punish him, Mammoth grabbed Gizmo, lifted him off the ground, and shook him up and down. "You idiot! That was supposed to be a secret!"

"I-I know, but...ulp." Gizmo's newfound nausea made it difficult to form words without risking throwing up.

"Aha! I was right!" Lee laughed triumphantly at this latest development. "The great Prince Maryaka, second in line to the throne, acting behind the Emperor's back! This is getting good!"

Maryaka scoffed. "As if he's going to believe that from you."

"He already has."

Instantly, Maryaka recognized this new voice, an all-too-familiar voice...the last one he would've wanted to hear right now.

It was the Emperor's voice.

"I've had a feeling for some time now that you were committing acts of insubordination behind my back. And it looks like I was right. You're trying to see that Alexis Hikari doesn't have to duel you on my orders! You are guilty of high treason against the Empire and of interfering with a direct order from the Emperor!"

"Where's his voice coming from?" Mammoth asked, at which Lee pointed to a square bulge in his suit.

Maryaka growled in frustration. All these years of effort, getting close enough to the Emperor so that he could overthrow him and avenge the death of his father, gone to waste in seconds. All because of a slimy creep wearing a wire. How could he have not seen this coming?

Speaking of slimy creeps, Lee appeared as if he was going to explode with ecstasy at any moment. "Here comes the best part! What judgment shall you pass on this insubordinate scum, my liege?"

"Do you need to ask?" For some reason, the Emperor didn't sound as angry as the others would have thought. Maryaka figured it was because he knew.

He must've known that Maryaka was the son of the previous emperor.

The son of the very man the Emperor himself had killed in order to rise to power.

"Maryaka Shinset!" he roared through the device Lee wore on his chest. "As punishment for forsaking your loyalty to the Emperor of Rondeval, you are hereby stripped of your rank as Imperial Prince and condemned, along with everyone in your little group there, to immediate execution!"

Everyone gasped in shock at the Emperor's announcement, except Maryaka, who pretty much saw it coming, and of course Lee, who started to dance in mocking joy. "This is the best day of my life! You're going to die, and I have a shot at being the new Prince of the Empire! Whoo!" He burst into manic laughter, which was cut short when the Emperor cleared his throat.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves there, Headcutter," he spoke. "You're still on my list due to what happened back at Anker-Hill. However, I will give you this chance to redeem yourself. Crush the former Imperial Prince and each one of his followers, and I will allow you to become the new Imperial Prince."

"What about Lady Alexis?" Mizumi asked.

"Her disappearance suggests to me that she's trying to evade my orders herself. I'll deal with her when she resurfaces. My primary concern right now is the disgraced former Prince. Do not disappoint me again, Headcutter."

"Right. I will not, my lord." Lee then turned toward the Red Dragons. "Well, you heard the Emperor. I get to destroy you all! So, who's first?"

Gizmo got ready to step forth to accept, but Mizumi stepped in first, her disc all ready to go. "I don't care who you think you are, but I'm not letting you get away with what you did here! I'll make you pay for lying to me and condemning Maryaka!"

"That's dangerous talk, child," the Emperor said. "I would strongly advise against this course of action."

"My apologies, exalted one..." Mizumi rolled her eyes as she spoke. "...but I gotta do this."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he sighed. "I have no other choice, then, but to add you to the group of executionees. Headcutter, you will destroy her as well! Understand?"

"Indeed, your Highness," Lee complied as he prepared his Duel Disc for battle. "Alright, vermin, prepare to die!"

"Let's duel!" the both of them declared. And with that, the first match between Lee Headcutter and the traitors was underway.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Warden's Revenge

"Ladies first, brat," Lee said in his usual snide fashion.

"Fine, jerk," Mizumi retorted as she drew her first card. The two duelists were ready and waiting to do battle on the rooftop stadium as per the Emperor's request. The Red Dragons watched from the eastern edge of the roof as the White Dragons' newest member took a stand against the wicked warden of the Sygh-Varths prison.

"I begin with the Spell Card Terraforming, which allows me to put a Field Spell from my Deck, like A Legendary Ocean, into my hand. From there, I'll activate it." The Field Spell that Mizumi activated flooded the surface of the rooftop with a vast body of water that looked so realistic, one would almost think it was real ocean water. Below the surface of this makeshift ocean was what appeared to be an underwater city, though it was hard to tell from the "rocks" on which the competitors now stood.

"Next, I summon Cure Mermaid, whose attack points rise by two hundred thanks to my Ocean spell." The blonde mermaid seemed right at home in the ocean as she floated about, playfully splashing the water with her red tail fin. "I'll put one card facedown and end my turn."

"That's all you can do? I should've expected this much from a new recruit," Lee taunted. "I'll use the ever-trusty Pot of Greed. You know what this does, right?"

"Of course."

"Good, then I don't have to waste breath explaining it." Lee drew his two cards, then snickered. "Take a look at this – my own Terraforming spell! It's time to dry up your ocean and turn up the heat a bit!" With the activation of Lee's Field Spell, the ocean water began to evaporate, and the underwater city gave way to a rising volcano. Once the volcano had finished its ascension, scalding hot magma began to pour from its crater onto the ground. Before long, a dangerous ocean of lava surrounded the rocks upon which Lee and Mizumi stood.

"Marvelous, isn't it? My Molten Destruction spell is truly a sight to behold. And here to bask in its fiery glory is my Blazing Inpachi, who gets five-hundred points added to his Attack power courtesy of my Field card!" The flame-cloaked wooden monster burst onto the field in a flourish of orange flames. "But before I send him in to snuff out your puny fish lady, I'll attach the Nitro Unit Equip Spell to her! Now when that young lass meets her fiery doom, her fifteen hundred Attack points will come out of your life points!"

Mizumi gulped nervously, but tried to remain calm. _Ok…This doesn't look good._

"And now, Blazing Inpachi, go ahead and cook that sardine!" The blazing brute held up a flaming fist, charged in toward the helpless mermaid and threw a punch into her stomach, knocking her backwards toward Mizumi. The helmet Lee had placed atop her head exploded shortly after, dealing fairly heavy damage to Mizumi. "Hot enough for you? Trust me, I got much worse in store for you. Feel free to surrender at any time and spare us both the wait."

Mizumi scoffed. "It'll take more than a few empty threats to scare me."

"Yeah? Well, maybe this will help." Lee placed a Spell card on the field, which caused an odd-looking green cannon to materialize onto the field. "I activate Wave-Motion Cannon! This mighty cannon gains power each time I enter Standby Phase. I can choose to send it to the Graveyard anytime during a Main Phase. If I do, you take one thousand points of damage for each turn it was allowed to charge up."

"Yeah, that's scary," Mizumi sarcastically remarked as she drew her card. "I'll just place a Defense monster and end my turn."

Lee drew his card. "And you think I'm not scary. I summon Great Angus and send him in to attack your mystery monster!" The pink boar creature gave a fierce roar as it madly charged toward the hidden monster, which revealed itself to be a small purple penguin with red shoulderpads and a small sword. The beast viciously threw its claws at the defenseless arctic bird, who threw its sword at the reddened monster in a desperate attempt to stave it off. In the end, the penguin was killed, but its sword surprisingly sent the enraged boar into its ally, the Blazing Inpachi, both of whom disappeared from the field shortly thereafter.

"Gotcha!" Mizumi giggled. "You just triggered my Penguin Soldier's ability, forcing both of your monsters back into your hand. So much for your big, scary monsters, huh?"

Lee huffed. "Don't count your blessings yet, child. I'll still roast you and your pitiful cards yet. Hmm...Perhaps I'll have you executed in such a manner. What do you think?"

"I think you should take your own advice and not count your blessings, since now it's my turn." Mizumi drew her card. "I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted and use it to restore Cure Memaid to the field!" The red-tailed mermaid spun in a full circle as she returned to battle. As she did, she took out a small vial of water from her person and splashed its contents onto Mizumi, rejuvenating a bit of her lost life energy. "Since I summoned Cure Mermaid just before entering Standby Phase, her special ability allowed me to regain eight hundred life points."

"Whoopee," an unimpressed Lee flatly cheered.

"And now I'll summon Mother Grizzly to keep her company!" The blue grizzly bear snarled and flashed its claws as it took its place beside its companion. "And now, Mother Grizzly, Cure Mermaid, let him have it!" The mermaid went in first, whipping its tail across Lee's right cheek, with the grizzly swiping at the same general area soon afterward. The attacks caused considerable damage, but Lee seemed more annoyed than concerned. "And now, I'll use my Giant Trunade spell, sending all our Spell and Trap Cards back into our hands!" The fierce gales emanating from the card hologram blew away the molten pool of lava, the mysterious green cannon, and the Call of the Haunted picture along with the Cure Mermaid. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

The audience confusedly pondered Mizumi's last move. "What the heck was that? Why did she eliminate her own monster like that?" Gizmo asked Maryaka.

"That's for her to know and for us to find out," Maryaka answered.

"For her sake, I just hope she knows what she's doing," Dimitri remarked.

Lee chuckled amusedly. "I know what's going on. I've seen it a number of times before. You're starting to crack under the pressure, aren't you?"

Mizumi gasped. "Oh no. What on earth was I thinking?" she forcedly mused aloud.

"Obviously, you weren't. And while that sinks in, I think I'll re-cast my Field Spell, Molten Destruction, and bring back our good friend, Blazing Inpachi!" Within seconds, the lava lake Mizumi tried to blow off last turn had returned to the playing field, as had the monster her Penguin Soldier had shoved away the turn before. "Now go forth and singe that cerulean brute, my pet!" The burning pile of lumber staggered forth, fist ablaze, and hammered its azure enemy to a fiery death.

"Nice going," Mizumi said after the damage had been dealt. "When Mother Grizzly is defeated in battle, she lets me summon a new monster from my Deck - a water-attribute with up to fifteen hundred attack points, like Star Boy for example!" The red cyclopean starfish jumped up and down excitedly when it took the field, sprinkling a light blue energy all over the field like glitter.

Lee snorted rudely. "That's your new monster? Right, _real _threatening. Hey, if you're lucky, _maybe _he can try to rescue you while you're burning at the stake once I destroy you in this match."

Mizumi smiled slyly. "We'll see."

"Right. I'll bring my Wave-Motion Cannon back into play and end my turn."

Maryaka raised an eyebrow. "Now I get it."

"Get what?" Gizmo asked.

"The reason she used Giant Trunade last round. It was to ensure Lee would attack the other monster so she could summon that monster this round."

"And that's a good thing?"

Maryaka nodded. "Watch."

Mizumi drew her card, then activated her facedown card. "Just like last time, I'll bring back my Cure Mermaid with my Call of the Haunted, which means I get a few more life points!" The mermaid did just as it did last time, splashing a vial of water onto Mizumi to restore some of her life energy. "Next, I'll use Monster Reborn and revive Penguin Soldier, which I'll then tribute to summon The Legendary Fisherman!" The penguin disappeared in a wisp of blue energy, which re-manifested itself as a blue-haired man with a spear in his right hand riding a killer whale.

"Ooh, I'm terrified!" Lee tauntingly responded. "Perhaps you forgot about the extra power my Field card affords my monster. Your fisherman has the same attack force as mine, thanks to that ridiculous star thing, but overall, he's no more of a threat than those other two pathetic monsters of yours."

"There's one aspect you overlooked," Mizumi said. "My Star Boy does more than simply power up water monsters; he also drains power from all fire monsters!"

"He does _what!?_" Lee looked over at his Blazing Inpachi, and just as he feared, his furious fire monster seemed to be suffering from the energy the Star Boy had scattered upon the field. "This cannot be good."

"Cure Mermaid, attack the Blazing Inpachi!" The red mermaid approached the monster that had destroyed it moments ago and swatted it with her tail fin, successfully repaying the favor. "Fisherman, Star Boy, hit him directly!" The fisherman went first and threw its spear right into Lee's chest. The starfish went up and tackled him just below the area of impact, then retrieved the spear and returned it to its ally. "It won't be too much longer now!"

"Headcutter!" the Emperor's voice roared through the wire Lee wore under his suit. "It sounds to me as if you're losing! That better be a lie, or so help me Ra..."

"Not to worry, my liege," Lee nervously tried to reassure him. "My opponent has the lead now, but trust me, I have a few methods of changing that. Just wait." He simpered slightly as he finished speaking.

"Oh, if only I could believe you."

"Well, it is my turn now, so..." Lee drew his card, then chuckled. "Time to regain control! I summon Great Angus once more! Then I'll take the Blazing Inpachi from my Graveyard and remove him from play to summon another monster - Inferno!" As Lee took the monster card out of the Graveyard, his new monster began to form from the soul of the old one. In a fiery flash, a collection of flame-cloaked skulls took their place next to the angry pink boar monster.

Mizumi gulped. _This won't end well._

"Inferno, devour that irksome Star Boy at once!" The skulls perked up at the order and charged all at once towards the starfish, who started to panic and run around in circles in an attempt to escape. It was a futile effort, however; the skulls caught up in no time and exploded upon impact, sending the poor creature into Mizumi and dealing a large amount of damage - a lot more than she was supposed to have taken.

"Here's the big twist," Lee gloated. "When Inferno destroys your monster in battle, you take an additional fifteen hundred points of damage! Marvelous, right? Not to mention your Star Boy's debilitating power over my monsters has ceased, putting me in charge of the match once more!"

_No, _Mizumi thought. _I can't lose now. I'm so close to beating this sicko._

"And now, Great Angus, it's lunchtime! The specialty du jour - fish sticks a la Cure Mermaid!" The raging beast took the call to action and, within seconds, swallowed the helpless mermaid in one bite. "I wish you were here to see this, my liege, as it seems I am about to pull off a spectacular victory!"

"Yes, about that..." The Emperor, according to his tone, seemed a bit peeved about something. "There's something a bit peculiar about your deck. It doesn't seem like the same one you kept bragging about during the tournament three years ago."

"Oh, yes," Lee replied, "it's, uh...it's not the same one, you see. I..." Lee stopped talking for a brief moment when he heard the Emperor growl. "It's really no big deal, you see. I probably won't need my stronger deck for this meager duelist anyway."

"Right, just like you didn't need it for Gizmo, who somehow happened to defeat you yesterday."

"That was different! I was, uh, just having an off day yesterday. Trust me, I'll defeat this one, no problem!"

"You'd better. No more excuses, Headcutter! That's what I said yesterday, _did I not!?_"

"Yes, my lord," Lee answered meekly.

"Now, I expect you to finish this match quickly, and shortly upon doing so, to get your best deck and to keep it with you at all times, like you said you would. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Lee then looked back up at Mizumi. "I'll put one card facedown and end my turn. Come, now. Don't keep the Emperor waiting."

"Right." Mizumi drew her card, then brightened. "Yes! It's time to put an end to this!"

_Do whatever you will, you insignificant brat, _Lee mused proudly to himself._ It will do you no good. My Magic Cylinder trap will stop your Legendary Fisherman from destroying my Inferno and kill your life points in the process. Or, even if you choose not to attack me, by this time next turn, my Wave-Motion Cannon will be charged up enough to kill your life points anyway. It's inevitable; you will die, and I'll be taking Maryaka's place as the new Imperial Prince!_

"Let's have it, then," he said aloud.

"Right, then. First, I'll summon Ameba!" The shapeless blue liquid that Mizumi summoned jiggled slowly as it awaited its owner's next move.

Lee snickered mockingly. "So let me get this straight, now. You've pinned all your hopes of victory onto that worthless blob?" When Mizumi nodded, his snickering gave way to laughing. "If you wanted to surrender, why not just say so? Why humiliate yourself pretending that thing can save your skin?"

"Who's pretending? In a few seconds, it really will save my skin - right after I use my Creature Swap Spell card." Mizumi threw the card into the appropriate slot on her disc. "With this card, my Ameba and one monster of your choosing will switch sides on the playing field. So who's it gonna be?"

Lee huffed. "You think I'm that stupid? I'm choosing my Great Angus, of course!" _Okay, didn't see that coming, but no big deal. She obviously thinks she can defeat me by attacking, but my Magic Cylinder says otherwise._

"By the way, I've already won."

"Say again?" Lee was confused at Mizumi's statement.

"When Ameba switches sides on the field, its new owner - that's you - automatically takes two thousand points of damage. And with only sixteen hundred and fifty points left..."

"B-But...but..." Before Lee could say anything, the blue blob jumped onto Lee's face and began to burn into the skin. Lee gave a muffled scream of frustration as the last of his life points melted away. While everyone else was cheering and congratulating Mizumi for a hard-fought victory, he reached under his shirt, ripped out the wire and held it to his face, expecting to hear the deafening roar that would be the Emperor.

Instead, he only heard static. "Huh. It sounds like His Majesty cut me off."

"Yeah," Maryaka spoke up. "That usually happens right before he sends someone to kill you off."

"As if you're in any position to talk?" Lee started to panic harder than ever. "This is bad. The Emperor's not gonna be happy about this one little bit! What do I do? What do I...I know! I'll go hide somewhere! Yes! Somewhere where he'll never find me! Yes, that's what I'll do!"

"Dude, get a grip," Patrick said to him. "You're starting to scare me."

Lee turned toward the collection of now-renegade duelists. "You lot should be grateful to me! If that was my best deck, you'd all be going to die instead of me!"

"Speaking of decks..." Maryaka took Lee's machine deck out from his coat. "You forgot about this one."

Lee scoffed. "That pile of garbage? Keep it. I don't need it anymore."

"Eh." Maryaka tossed the deck at Gizmo. The deck bonked him in the forehead before falling to the ground, at which point the ecstatic young duelist swiped it up without hesitation.

"Score," he muttered giddily to himself.

Lee then moved to re-enter, then leave the castle. "Well, I'd love to stay and chew the fat a while longer, but we're all going to die soon, and I'd much prefer not to be near you when that happens. So, ta-ta."

"Good riddance," Maryaka grumbled as he and a few others unenthusiastically waved goodbye.

* * *

By the time the Emperor was through with his tantrum, the throne room was in ruins. His throne was overturned, and several of the decorative dragon head pillars were smashed to pieces and/or lying on the ground. His bodyguards had fled for fear that they would get caught up in their boss's fit of rage.

"Errgh! That incompetent suck-up! I should've guessed he'd underestimate his foes, but this...First Gizmo, now some brat who hasn't even been in my service for three days? And Maryaka, that filthy, smooth-talking traitor! Why, I've half a mind to go down there and drag the whole lot of them to the gates of hell myself!"

Suddenly, he heard knocking on the door. "What do you want?" he roared.

"Sir..." one of the bodyguards meekly answered, "...your ten o' clock is here."

At that moment, the Emperor had an idea that made him grin maliciously. "Oh, that's right. Just a moment." He took a few seconds to settle down and return his throne to its original position before giving the OK for the other person to enter. The person turned out to be Slade Headcutter, the runner-up at the Colosseum championship two days prior.

"Wow. What happened in here?" he asked upon seeing the state of the throne room.

"That's none of your business," the Emperor snapped. "Now then, on to your business. Have you ever wanted to earn back your old position here in the Empire?"

"Well, yes, part of me did miss the challenging battles I'd fight for the Empire's sake."

"In that case, today's your lucky day. It turns out I have a few newly open spots in my glorious Empire. I may be able to reinstate you, if you're willing to do one small favor in return."

"Very well, then. What's the catch?"

* * *

"So now what are we supposed to do?" Gizmo griped as the Red Dragons, along with Mizumi, approached the Dark Lightning.

"We came here to find Lady Alexis," Maryaka reminded everyone. "Since she's not here, we'll just have to look elsewhere." He then turned to Mizumi. "Any idea whatsoever as to where she might be right now?"

Mizumi thought for a moment. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but she could be at Vaxi Island. She once told me she loves it there."

"Good enough for me. Everyone, we're off to Gigan-Syip!"

"Yeah! All-you-can-eat seafood buffet!" Mammoth hollered, causing everyone to stare at him. "...And we have to cross it to get to Vaxi Island."

As soon as everyone had squeezed in, the cruiser took off to the northwest, speeding toward Gigan-Syip. With just over one day left before Alexis's deadline, there was little time to waste.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Warden's Last Stand

With their land cruiser back in their care, Maryaka and his motley troop would make it to the Gigan-Syip trading town/naval base within minutes. This was where the journey to Vaxi Island on land would end and the journey by sea would begin. Unfortunately, since the Dark Lightning could only move on land and the group didn't have access to a sky cruiser, they would have to use a ship to make this leg of the journey. Furthermore, the trip to Vaxi Island by boat would take about a full day to make, give or take a few hours. By that time, the deadline would be up, and the Empire would begin their hunt for the missing Alexis without delay. Despite the inconveniences, however, the Red Dragons were eager to cross the strait, get to Vaxi Island and start their own search for the White Dragon leader.

On a lighter note, given the great distance between the Gigan-Syip area and Sygh-Varths, the Empire's foothold here was relatively thin. The only imperial officers to worry about in this region are the captain at Gigan-Syip's naval fortress and the admiral in charge of Tsughut, the provincial capital of Vaxi Island. With any luck, the Red Dragons could grab a ship, set sail for Vaxi before the captain spotted them and slip onto the island without being detected by the admiral.

Of course, people seldom ever get that lucky. From the rooftop of the naval fortress, a large rotund man in a navy blue uniform with bronze shoulder ornaments watched through a spyglass as the Dark Lightning pulled into the town several yards southwest. "Well, well, if it ain't the traitors themselves, comin' to cross the strait just as that messenger said! Well, I ain't about to let this slide, no sirree!" He picked up a megaphone and prepared to address his unit, which was patrolling the nearby area. "Look alive, ladies! We got fugitives comin' to town! Let's bag 'em up and take 'em in!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The soldiers scrambled to begin a march to the trading town.

The captain gave a sinister chuckle. "Big payday, here I come!"

* * *

"I don't believe this," grumbled a frustrated Lee Headcutter as he dug through one of the drawers in his office at the Sygh-Varths prison. "First that brat Gizmo, now some brat newbie? I'll teach them to make a mockery of Lee Thaddeus Headcutter!" He took out a box from the drawer, opened it, and withdrew a deck from it. "I'll show them all that I do indeed have what it takes to lead the Empire one day!"

The door to his office opened all of a sudden. "You do realize it's unhealthy to be talking to yourself, right?"

"Who dares invade the sanctity of my –" Lee spun around to address his visitor, but cut himself off upon seeing who it was.

"Hey, bro," Slade greeted. "Did you miss me?"

"Like a bad hernia," Lee unenthusiastically replied. "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"I just wanted to catch up with my little bro," Slade said in a tone of forced cheerfulness. "I mean, it's been some _years _since we've spoken to each other."

"Yeah, ever since you became a big shot at the Colosseum. So, what? Did the limelight suddenly become boring for you?"

"No, not exactly. I'm still living it up there like always. Still crushing the competition as they come."

"And what about Lance? Have you heard from him at all?"

"No, I haven't seen hide or hair of him. So, how have you been holding up?"

"Oh, fine. I've got a well-paying job managing this prison. Sure, it's a bit gloomy, rather high-maintenance and full of bloodthirsty savages who'd sooner tear off my head than look at me, but hey, what place isn't these days?"

Both chuckled softly before Lee got serious again. "Alright, smart guy, why are you really here?"

Slade cleared his throat. "I'm here by order of the Emperor. He's tasked me with taking you out once and for all."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Still, I'm not about to roll over and die just yet." Lee dangled the deck he reacquired a short while ago near Slade's face. "Perhaps if I defeat you here, with my absolute strongest deck, I can get back on the Emperor's good side yet."

Slade chuckled bemusedly. "That's a long shot if ever there was one. Even if you beat me by some miracle of chance, there's little possibility the Emperor's gonna flat-out forgive your incompetence." _And there's no chance I'll forgive what you did six years ago._

"We'll see about that!" Lee declared. Both players' Duel Discs had been primed and ready by this point.

"Fine! Let's have at it! Let's Duel!"

* * *

"Very well. Keep working on it and report back once you're finished."

"Yes, Master Blood."

"Please, call me _Brother _Blood." The elderly gentleman smoothed back his gray hair as he went to oversee the progress of the other technicians in his employ. Most of the advancements in the Empire's technology - the vid-screen broadcasting network, the cruisers, and various others - were a result of this man's vision and ingenuity. That, combined with his charismatic personality, incredible mental capabilities, and knack for Duel Monsters, earned him a position as director of technology for the Imperial Order.

Shortly after he turned to supervise the technicians' progress, he heard the electronic door to the lab open. He was pleasantly surprised to see the Emperor step into his domain. "Ah, the exalted Lord Dragomire! Welcome!"

"Harrumph." Dragomire did not seem to share Brother Blood's jubilant mood.

"So, how is everything going in the Empire?"

"Horrible," the irritable Emperor spat. "Not only has my semi-trusted second-in-command betrayed my authority, but a certain other subordinate of mine has yet again proven himself useless! I won't use any names, but it sounds similar to _Lee ****ing Headcutter!_"

"I see..."

"The latter's already taken care of, though; I've dispatched someone to deal with him. The next two tasks at hand are to dispose of the former Imperial Prince and recruit a new, more subservient one."

"Well, not to worry, your Highness. I'm sure that Benedict Shinset will get what's coming to him."

Dragomire scoffed. "That certainly goes without saying."

"Now then, what brings you to my humble laboratory?"

"I'm running a personal check on key areas of the Empire to make sure that our former Prince hasn't sabotaged anything crucial to us. That's why I'm here right now."

"Ah. Well, I don't think he's done any damage here, but you're welcome to take a look if you wish."

"Of course I do." Dragomire began his security check of Brother Blood's laboratory. For roughly fifteen minutes, he slowly analyzed every aspect of the lab, keeping a critical eye out for anything that would seem faulty or out of place. The technicians nervously continued their work as the hazel eyes of the Empire's single most powerful figure watched over them like a hawk.

After the survey was complete, Dragomire once more approached Brother Blood. "Well, everything appears to be in order. Still, I'd advise you to be cautious in the future. There's little telling what that heathen has planned for this laboratory of yours."

"Duly noted, your Highness."

"Good. I must be on my way now, for there are many other areas of the Empire to oversee." Dragomire turned to the electronic door, but stopped short soon after, having supposedly remembered something he was going to say. "By the way...How much progress have you made towards reopening the gateway to your world?"

"Almost enough. I think it has something to do with that material Dr. Rockfeld found at the Black Chaos ruins."

"How so?"

"It seems to hold some inter-dimensional qualities. If we could gather enough of it, we could study it more thoroughly and doubtlessly find a way to get back there."

"Excellent. I'll be sure to inform him to deliver a shipment of it to you at once." Dragomire slid a card key through the key slot near the electronic door, opening it. "I'll expect a report once your research on that matter is complete." As the door slid shut behind him, he grinned wickedly. _Indeed...Once that gateway reopens, I'll have another chance to bring that world under my control. One more world to make the great Dragomire Empire even greater than it already is!_ Hardly able to contain himself any longer, he let slip a malevolent chuckle.

Unbeknownst to him, Brother Blood had a nefarious smirk of his own. _Not to worry, your Highness. Shinset won't be outsmarting me that easily. No one will...not even you._

* * *

"I'm going first, brother," Lee said as he took the first draw. "I begin with the Upstart Goblin spell! I draw one card, and in return, you get one thousand Life Points."

"Hmph. Aren't you nice," Slade spoke sarcastically as Lee drew a second card for that turn.

"I place one monster and three cards facedown. Alright, bro, let's see what your Colosseum matches have amounted to!"

"Eager to lose, are we?" Slade drew his card, and then moved to play a different one. "I'll start with the Shield Crush spell card! As I'm sure you've guessed by now, this allows me to wipe out one monster that's in Defense mode!" The hologram depicting Lee's defending monster card exploded and disappeared. After it did, however, a new hologram turned up, this one in the shape of a scythe-wielding hooded phantom with eyes that glowed with a piercing yellow light.

"You haven't changed a bit, bro. You're just as addle-brained as ever," Lee taunted. "Now that my Emissary of the Afterlife has been destroyed, his effect activates! Each of us can now move a Level Three or lower Normal Monster from our decks to our hands."

The Emissary then took off toward Slade's deck and disappeared inside it, searching for a monster that could be moved to Slade's hand. After a few seconds, it emerged and shrugged, having apparently come back empty-handed.

"Nothing, huh?" Lee chuckled. "Pity. I guess you don't appreciate my generosity."

"Whatever."

"Now it's my turn!" The phantom repeated the process with Lee's deck. Only this time, it brought something back with it – a metallic left arm that was restrained by a chain attached to a bronze wristband. "Certainly you remember _this, _right, bro? It's the same monster I used to beat you last time we dueled, and it's the same monster that'll get me back to living the good life!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one who hasn't changed, then." Slade resumed his turn with another spell card. "I activate Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, then I ditch two." After discarding two cards, he then proceeded to summon his first monster. "I summon Vorse Raider! One of my pals at the Colosseum uses this monster as often as I do, and you're gonna see why in a moment! But first, I'm gonna use this Premature Burial spell to get back one of the monsters I discarded earlier!"

After paying the eight hundred Life Points to activate his spell, Slade took the monster he had sent to his graveyard moments prior and placed it on the field. This monster was relatively human compared to the axe-wielding beast warrior that stood alongside him. Between his twin knives, his two pistols and his disposition as a master thief, however, Don Zaloog was decidedly not the sort one would want to meet in a dark alley.

"Now it's time to feel some pain! Vorse Raider, direct attack!" The beast warrior lunged toward its target, sweeping its axe across Lee's chest for considerable damage. "Don Zaloog, follow up with Scorpion Slash!" The thief whipped out his two knives from their sheathes and proceeded to launch a direct attack of his own…

"Not so fast there!" Lee interrupted the attack by activating…all three of his facedown cards! Two of the cards depicted gold-lined red jars overflowing with jewelry and other such treasure, each imprinted with a hideous face that bore a bone-chilling grin. The other showed a thief about to lay his hands on a box of treasure, apparently oblivious to the myriad of traps that safeguarded it from those like him as well as the snakes that called it their home. "I activate two Jars of Greed and one Reckless Greed! Between these three cards, I am able to draw four cards from my deck!"

Slade scoffed as Lee drew his four cards. "I take it you're aware what happens when Donnie here deals damage to your Life Points, then?"

"Of course." Lee finished speaking just in time to see Don Zaloog dig his knives into each of Lee's shoulders, an action that made him inwardly glad the monsters were just holographic projections. However, that was the least of his worries at the moment, because now Don Zaloog was ready to take one card out of Lee's hand to be discarded to the Graveyard. The thief reached for a card in Lee's hand…

…And ended up taking an Upstart Goblin.

"Tch. You got lucky this time, bro," Slade remarked.

"Perhaps I did. Still, I can't help but wonder – did you fix up your deck just to take out my Exodia cards?"

"Maybe I did. So what?"

"A waste of effort, my dimwitted brother. You'll still never beat me."

"It's a bit early to start thinking like that. I'll put two cards on the field and be done with my turn."

"Finally, my turn." Lee reflexively moved his free hand to his deck, but retracted it at the last moment. Since he had used Reckless Greed, he had to skip his next two Draw Phases. Instead, he moved his hand to one of to the cards he had drawn seconds prior. "I activate Foolish Burial. Using it, I send this monster to the Graveyard." He took a monster out of his deck – a miniature imp wielding a spear that looked more akin to a pocketknife – and deposited it into his Graveyard. "Then I place a Defense monster and end my turn."

"I knew you haven't changed," Slade grumbled as he drew his card. "You're just gonna hide behind defenses until you get your precious Exodia cards."

"Your point?"

"You never have the guts to actually fight. Instead, you use all the cheapest possible tricks to get the upper hand. Just like six years ago…"

"You're still bent out of shape over that? Look, I saw an opening to be a part of something big, and I took it. Anyone else would, given the chance."

"Anyone else without a shred of loyalty, you mean. I doubt everyone would butcher their own family just for a shot at making it big in the Empire."

Lee chuckled. "Shows what you know. The Emperor wanted me to prove I had what it took to serve in the Empire, so I proved it. Plain and simple."

Slade grimaced. "Yeah? Well, now the Emperor thinks you deserve to die. And now, I'm gonna prove that you do. Starting with destroying you in our match." With that, he resumed the match with a spell card. "I activate Allure of Darkness! I get to draw two cards, but then I must remove a Dark monster in my hand from play. Otherwise, I lose my whole hand." He drew the two cards, then sighed in disgust as he discarded the contents of his hand.

"Ooh. Nice play there, moron."

"Bah. I didn't need those cards anyway, not when I have these ones! Vorse Raider, attack the Defense monster!" The bloodthirsty beast took a swing at the mystery monster, only to have its attack deflected by none other than a certain Moving Fortress. The resulting damage was just more than enough to eliminate the bonus from Lee's first Upstart Goblin spell. "Grr…I end my turn now."

"I'm up again. And don't worry; I can start drawing again next turn. But for now, I'll put another Defense monster."

"What a surprise." Slade drew his card. "I put a facedown card, then send Vorse Raider to attack the new Defense card." This time, the monster succeeded in carving its victim to pieces. Unfortunately, it was another Emissary of the Afterlife.

"Thanks. Now I get piece number two to Exodia." The piece Lee took this time was the Left Leg. "Now then, let's get back to business." Lee drew his next card – the Right Leg. _Excellent. Three pieces in tow, two more to go. Ooh…I'm a poet and didn't even know it! How awesome am I? _"I put another Defense monster and end my turn."

Slade sighed as he drew his card. "Vorse Raider, attack the monster." Once more, Vorse Raider failed to destroy its target. This time, it was a Giant Soldier of Stone, and with slightly weaker Defense power than Gear Golem, the damage from attacking the gray stone behemoth was even less than the previous failed attack. "Alright, let's go."

Lee drew his card. "I put one card facedown and end my turn."

Slade drew his card. "…I end my turn."

Lee drew another card – the Right Arm. _Yes! All I need now is the head piece, and that'll be all she wrote for Slade! _He motioned to his facedown card. "I activate another Reckless Greed! That means two more cards for me!" He drew his two cards, at which point his face adopted an ugly smirk. "Look what I just drew." He flashed the spell card he just drew to his brother.

Slade gulped. "Gold Sarcophagus, huh?"

"Indeed. With this, I can take Exodia's head piece from my deck and place it within the sarcophagus. Then, two turns from now, I can take the card out of the sarcophagus and place it in my hand! In other words…" Lee revealed the remaining four Exodia cards in his hand. "…This match is as good as won!"

Slade began to sweat. "Says you…"

Lee removed the chosen card from his deck and placed it within the left breast pocket of his suit. A hologram appeared soon afterward, showing a large rectangular golden sarcophagus bearing the Eye of Anubis on one side and two golden eagles adorning either side of the lid. The lid opened up slightly, after which a hologram of Exodia the Forbidden One's card was placed within the opening, which then closed up and vanished from the field moments later. "I'll put one card facedown and be done with it. You're up, bro." Lee snickered.

Slade drew his card. _Damn it…I gotta find some way to take out those pieces in his hand by next turn. Otherwise, I'm screwed! _"I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp and end my turn." Taking its place next to its two teammates, the green genie folded its arms awaiting its master's next command.

"Not yet, I'm afraid." Before Lee took his next turn, he turned over his facedown card. "I activate my third and final Reckless Greed! Ergo, two new cards for me!" Lee drew his two cards, then acknowledged the start of his new turn by using one. "Next, I activate my second Gold Sarcophagus! But wait, my five Exodia cards are already accounted for! Hmm…What to choose…"

"Quit with the stalling!" Slade angrily demanded.

"Geez, even when you're about to lose, you're no fun whatsoever." Lee pulled a Spear Cretin out of its deck and placed it within his pocket, its hologram being placed within the new sarcophagus. "I place a Defense monster and end my turn. If you have any last words for me, bro, now's the time to say them."

Slade drew his card, his tension at an all-time high…and laughed. Not the laugh of a man gone crazy with despair, or even one to mask his emotions, but a proud, hearty laugh. "Yeah! I got some last words for you, sucker – your ass is mine!"

"Y…You're bluffing…" Lee attempted to convince himself. By the look in Slade's eyes, however, it was not. "You can't defeat me! Just give in now!"

Slade snorted. "Not happening, bro. Check this out!" He activated the spell card he drew. "I activate Card Destruction!"

Lee could not believe this. Just like Gizmo and Mizumi before him, chance had smiled upon Slade while simultaneously giving Lee a cold, hard backhand to the face. "…How in the hell could you have that…?"

"Stings, doesn't it? With this, both of us have to discard our whole hands and draw the same number of cards we tossed. I have only two cards to discard, so not much changes for me. You, however, lose four of the five cards needed for your ultimate monster!"

Disgustedly, Lee replaced the five cards in his hand with five new ones as Slade did the same with his two. "Th…This doesn't change a thing, you know! I'll still find a way to defeat you!"

"Right. Of course. Maybe a few more Defense monsters might keep you from losing all your life points while your deck runs out of cards." Slade smirked. "Given that they can handle this, that is." He took the Don Zaloog and La Jinn the Mystical Genie cards from the field, deposited them into the Graveyard, and replaced them with a Level Seven monster. "I offer Don Zaloog and the Mystical Genie to summon Zoa!"

The genie and the master thief pooled their energies to become a much more massive monster. The cerulean fiend snarled as it took its place next to its beast-warrior companion, flashing the long, jagged claws at the end of its slender forelegs.

"Zoa, crush that Moving Fortress!" Eager to stretch its legs against the enchanted fortress, the new monster charged forth and cleaved its target with its three claws, shredding it to pieces. "That's one shield down! Vorse Raider, go in for the facedown one with Axe of Bloodlust!" As if sick of doing nothing for the past two turns, the vicious creature instantly bolted for the hidden monster, which revealed itself to be…a crown, a pair of angel wings, a sash, a pair of sandals, and a pair of gloves wielding a bow and arrow. In a flash, Vorse Raider sliced apart the bow, with the rest of the monster disappearing soon after. "That's the end of my turn."

"Suit yourself, but first things first. Since you just flipped my Skelengel with your attack," Lee noted, "I get to draw another card." Lee drew one card, then took Exodia's head piece from his pocket and put it into his hand as well. "I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three cards, etc." He drew three cards, discarded two cards, and placed three on the field. "I set a Defense monster and two cards. Then…" Lee smirked as he selected another card from his hand. "I'll use Level Limit – Area B! With this card in play, all monsters Level Four or higher must be switched to Defense mode! Good luck attacking me now, bro!"

"Not so fast there!" Slade triggered one of his facedown cards. "I activate Magic Jammer! I toss one unneeded card to disable and destroy your crummy spell!" Slade discarded another Don Zaloog, and just like that, the hologram of Lee's new Spell Card fizzled out and vanished.

Lee groaned. "Okay, fine. I end my turn."

"You ain't looking so good, bro. I wonder why," Slade remarked as he drew his card. "I'm going to trade in Vorse Raider for Jinzo!" The murderous beast warrior disappeared from the field, its leftover energy manifesting into an android wearing green armor. The very gaze of this creature emanated an eerie power that was concentrated on the backfields of the two duelists.

_Damn him! _Lee fumed to himself. _Now I can't use the Gravity Bind or Backup Soldier traps I just put down!_

"Jinzo, atomize that Stone Soldier!" On command, the android's red circular "eyes" began to glow a bright crimson, before blasting high-intensity twin lasers toward its target. The Giant Soldier of Stone couldn't handle the assault and was reduced to dust in a second. "Now, Zoa, take out his hidden monster!" The cerulean beast lunged for its target, a violet-haired female monster with a black cloak and a strange green third eye, and slashed it to ribbons just as quickly as its partner in crime did.

"Once again, you did just as I knew you would." Lee took a Spirit Reaper card from his deck and dangled it in front of him. "By destroying Witch of the Black Forest, you allowed me to put this handy monster into my hand."

"Big deal. It's not gonna make any difference in the end."

"We'll see!" Lee drew his card, and then took the Spear Cretin he had placed in his second Gold Sarcophagus into his hand as well. "I set a Defense monster and be done for now."

Slade drew his next card. "You're done, all right. I activate Shield Crush to destroy your final monster!"

_No…_ Lee looked on in horror as his Spirit Reaper, his last hope of winning the match, of realizing his ambition to one day rule the kingdom, and of remaining among the living, was destroyed. _This simply cannot be…I am the greatest duelist in Rondeval! I sacrificed so much to attain my position in the Empire! I cannot allow my ambitions to meet a dead end now!_

"It's over, bro! Jinzo, Zoa, end this tedious farce now!" Zoa lashed out once more at its hapless foe, after which its cyborg companion fired another pair of lasers at him, completely draining the remnants of his life point counter. "Cheap shots and sleazy tricks can only get you so far in life, bro. Sooner or later, they're bound to fail just as you were."

"But how? How could the great Lee Headcutter lose to a mongrel like you?"

Slade chuckled. "Why don't you mull that over with the guards while they prepare you for execution." He audibly cleared his throat, which signaled the nearby guards into the warden's office to apprehend the defeated duelist. "He's all yours, Lieutenant."

The soldier in question gave a salute to the elder Headcutter. "Acknowledged, Chief." He then turned his attention to the younger brother. "Alright, you. Let's go. The Guillotine's waiting for ya."

Lee struggled against the two soldiers that had taken hold of each arm. "No! Release me at once! I am in charge of this facility! I am the supreme power here, and as such, I order you to let me go!"

"Should I tell him?" A nod from Slade confirmed Lieutenant Brown's question. "Right, then. I'm afraid you, Lee Headcutter, no longer have the power you once held."

"What nonsense is this?"

"We got orders from the top brass. Upon his defeat, warden Lee Headcutter is to be stripped of rank and executed immediately."

"But that's…"

"That's how it is. Now, come along quietly. The Guillotine's all set up outside for you."

"No!" Panicking, Lee began squirming furiously, screaming futile countermands that soon became incoherent ramblings. Slade simply watched with a triumphant smirk on his face.

_Mother, Father, I've finally avenged you…_

* * *

Half an hour later, Lee had been taken just outside the prison, where the guillotine was set up moments prior. Despite his protests, he was forced into the restraints that held the condemned's head and hands directly beneath the blade. A crowd of citizens and inmates, the latter of whom were under careful supervision, had gathered to witness the brutal warden's final moments. Slade opted to watch from the window of the warden's office.

Having donned the ceremonial executioner's mask, the executioner took his place next to the lever that controlled the blade. "Lee Headcutter, by order of the supreme Emperor of Rondeval, you are to be executed this day by way of the Guillotine. If you have any last words, this is your one chance to voice them."

Lee sneered defiantly. "The only thing I need say right now is this… You ingrates will not have seen the last of me here. Even if the blade takes my head off…I will still find a way to reign supreme over the kingdom one day. Just wait."

_Delirious until the very end… _Slade shook his head in a mixture of amusement and disgust._ Lee Headcutter, you truly are a wretched fool._

"Very well, then. If that's all you have to say, so be it." With those words, the executioner pulled the lever, sending the guillotine blade plunging down toward its current victim.

Not a single person in the audience showed any sign of remorse after the guillotine finished with its grisly task. The civilians returned to their prior engagements, while the prisoners were guided back to their cells to await the appointment of a new warden and the subsequent re-evaluation of their sentences. Both parties felt a slight sense of relief knowing that one of Rondeval's least merciful figures was no longer with them.

Slade, meanwhile, had two conflicting viewpoints running through his head. On the one hand, he had succeeded in repaying his brother for the deplorable acts he had committed throughout his career, to say nothing of six years prior. His own death, Slade believed, was the only deserved retribution for the crooked warden. Despite what Lee had done, though, he still felt a twinge of guilt for wishing such malice upon his own flesh and blood. _Was I right to want him dead? I realize he's an evil, self-serving crook that in more ways than one deserved his fate, but still…he was my brother._

"Chief?" Lieutenant Brown snapped him out of his musing. "I'm leaving to inform the Emperor of Lee's death." Slade nodded in affirmation, and Brown departed.

_Oh well. Whether I think it's right or not, it's already been done. End of story._ Slade then straightened the collar of his shirt and started back to Castle Sygh-Varths, awaiting the potential new meeting with Emperor Dragomire.

* * *

A/N: First ever author's note. After 9 chapters and over 3 years. I can't help but feel like I'm a bit late or something to that effect.

Anyway, I almost finished this chapter a long time ago, only to have it deleted on me before I could upload it into the document manager. Now, after a combination of getting a new flash drive, rewriting the thing from scratch, mulling over potential new concepts and good old fashioned laziness, it's finally up. A big thanks to anyone who took the time to read this far into the story. The final chapter probably won't surface for a long while, but still, I intend to at least try to complete it.

While I do appreciate any reviews people decide to leave, I don't want to pressure anyone into doing so if they don't want to. The only exception to this is if someone uncovers an issue(s) with the story that they think I should address. Aside from that, I don't really mind, as long as the readers enjoy this fanfic.

That's it for now. Review if you feel like it.


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